Echoes  of  Wisdom 


OR 


Talmudic  Sayings  with  Classic, 
especially   Latin,    Parallelisms, 


BY 


G.  TAUBENHAUS, 

Minister  Cong.  Beth  Elohim,  Brooklyn. 


PART  I. 


HA.EDRICH  &  SONS'  PRINT, 
Cor.   Jay  &  Johnson  Sts.,  Brooklyn. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1900,  by 

G.  TAUBENHAUS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


To  the  sacred  memory  of  my  beloved  father, 

BENJAMIN  TAUBENHAUS, 

I  dedicate  this  book. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


2071672 


PREFACE. 

In  presenting  Talmud  and  Classics  together,  the 
object  is  not  to  throw  the  charge  of  plagiarism  at  any 
door,  but  to  bring  the  Talmud  nearer  to  the  under- 
standing of  at  least  some  of  the  many  who,  lacking  all 
knowledge  of  the  same,  profanely  disparage  it. 

The  beautiful  form  is  not  the  chief  boast  of  the 
Classics.  They  are  at  their  noblest  when  glorifying 
some  metaphysical  or  practical  truth.  Where  that 
is  absent  they  fail  to  charm  us.  Homer  and  Virgil, 
Plato  and  Cicero  have  no  fascination  in  spite  of  their 
rhythmic  and  blossoming  diction  when  they  correct 
no  error,  improve  no  moral,  clarify  no  idea,  and 
elevate  no  truth. 

That  wisdom  which  is  the  pulsation  and  vitality 
of  the  Classics  is  a  part  of  the  wisdom  laid  up  in  the 
Talmud,  I  say  a  part,  because  as  to  vastness  of 
influence  and  loftiness  of  religious  thought  the 
Talmud  is  without  a  compeer.  It  is  the  luminous 
stratum  of  the  Bible,  and  has  been  and  is  still,  to  a 
vast  extent,  the  enlarged  and  illustrated  Bible  of 
Israel. 

The  present  volume,  comprising  Talmudic 
sayings  beginning  with  "Aleph,"  is  the  first  of  a 
proposed  series  to  come  forth  in  alphabetical  order, 
and  on  the  same  plan. 

Recognizing  my  indebtedness  to  the  "Milin 
D'rabbanan"  and  to  Ramage's  "Beautiful  thoughts  of 
Latin  Authors,"  whose  translation  I  occasionally 
adopted,  I  wish  this  booklet  a  cordial  reception. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 


I. 

"The  pipe  which  affords  sweet  music  to  princes  is  not 
appreciated  by  weavers."  —  Talmud. 

We  should  seek  to  earn  the  plaudits  of  refined 
taste.  Although  it  is  some  accomplishment  to 
please  any  class  of  people.  The  cheap  dining-room 
is  as  much  needed  as  the  high-toned  restaurant. 
Shall  those  starve  who  have  no  taste  and  no  means 
for  dainties  and  delicacies?  But  to  please  all  tastes 
alike  is  a  difficult  matter. 

So  Horace:  "What  shall  I  give,  what  shall  I  not  give. 
Thou  refusest  what  another  demands.'' 


(a  NDV;  rrro  rrnp»  x>  'N-n:    nor  "nn   aiax 

2.     "Quid  dem?     Quid  non  dem?     Renuis  tu,  quod  jubet 
alter."  —  Epist.  ii.  2. 

II. 

"At  the  door  of  the  well-supplied  store-room  there 
are  brethren  and  friends;  but  at  the  door  of  poverty 
neither  brethren  nor  friends  are  seen." 

This  is  a  universal  experience  and  it  were 
useless  to  ask  why  it  is  so.  Aristotle  having  been 
asked  why  people  like  to  spend  so  much  of  their 
time  with  handsome  persons  remarked:  "This  is  a 
question  fit  for  a  blind  man  to  ask." 

Everything  in  this  world  must  feed  on  something. 
Love  and  friendship,  too,  must  have  some  means  of 
sustenance. 


2  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

We  should  seek  to  acquire  some  virtue,  some  noble 
qualification,  whereby  we  may  be  held  in  esteem,  and 
in  prosperity  we  should  bear  in  mind  how  difficult  it 
is,  under  some  circumstances,  to  obtain  a  helping 
hand  when  such  is  most  needed. 

"Whilst  thou  art  favored  by  fortune  thou  shalt 
have  many  friends;  when  stormy  times  come  thou 
shalt  find  thyself  alone." — Ovid. 

Q"^  rat?)  •'iDnioi  TIN  ^-s:  Knwun  :ON 

"Donee  eris  felix,  multos  numerabis  amicos;  Tempora  si 
fuerint  nubila,  solus  erit." — Ovid  Trist  i,  9. 


III. 

"Our    fathers    said     they    have    forgotten     the     good 
things;  we  have  not  even  seen  them." 

A  famous  cook  obligated  himself  to  furnish  the 
recipes  of  a  thousand  dishes.  But  his  culinary  know- 
ledge proved  inadequate  to  the  agreement.  He  was 
sued,  and  the  judge  Rabbi  Jehudi  acquitted  him  on 
the  ground  that  it  was  not  for  the  benefit  of  society 
to  carry  that  art  to  such  a  high  pitch. 

"Who   could  tolerate   such   sordid   luxury."     (Juvenal.) 

CJ  D'-m)  '31  UKI  raiD  ireu  VIDK 

Quis  feret  istas  luxuriae  sordes.     (Sat.  i.) 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  3 

IV. 

"The  stones  of  one's  house,  the  walls  of  one's  house  will 
testify  against  him." — Tal. 

Wrong,  though  done  unobserved  and  unwatched, 
will  come  to  light.  Our  home  will  not  afford  us 
sufficient  help  to  cover  and  hide  it.  We  are  reminded 
of  the  lines  of  Swift: 

"For  by  old  proverbs  it  appears, 
That  walls  have  tongues  and  hedges  ears." 

"Oh!  Corydon, poor, simple  Corydon!  Do  you  think  aught 
that  a  rich  man  does,  can  be  secret?  Even  though  his  slaves 
should  hold  their  tongues,  his  cattle  will  tell  the  tale;  and  his 
dogs  and  door  posts  and  marble  statues." — Juvenal. 

(K*  mini  n  p'yo  ms  ijp  irva  rvnipi  DTK  ^  vp3  ^x 

Secretum  divkis  ullum  esse  putas?  Servi  ut  taceant  ju- 
menta  loquenitur  et  canis  e't  postes  et  marmora. — Sat.  ix. 


V. 

"By  the  way  threaten  the  enemy." — Tal. 

The  idea  is  to  check  evil  at  the  very  start  and  not  to 
allow  it  to  gain  any  ground.  The  angel  Gabriel,  com- 
missioned to  go  and  to  ripen  the  fruit  ot  Israel's 
fields,  was  advised  to  cut  off  the  Assyrians  on  the 
road.  For  to  bless  the  harvest  without  obviating 
hostile  invasion  would  have  been  tantamount  to  pre- 
paring a  sumptuous  banquet  for  the  enemy.  Indeed, 
that  gardener  is  careless  and  indiscreet  who  makes 


4  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

no  timely  provisions  against  injurious  influences. 

Persius  expressed  the  same  thought.     "Meet  the 
disease  on  the  road." 

(n"v  irwo^  yone"K  inm  !>jn^  -jrrnK  ajK 

Venienti  occurrite  morbo. — Persius  iii.  64. 


VI. 

"The  reward  of  the  religious  discourse  is  haste." — Tal. 

Our  religious  obligation  does  not  centre  in  the 
hand.  A  man,  carrying  a  hundred  Bibles  and  having 
nothing  in  his  heart  and  conscience  to  duplicate  any 
portion  of  their  sacred  contents,  carries  a  heavy  load 
but  not  the  word  of  God.  An  action  itself  does  not 
determine  its  merit  or  demerit.  Water  is  achromatic 
and  receives  an  agreeable  or  disagreeable  color  from 
something  else.  A  few  minute  rain-drops,  upon 
which  sun-rays  fall,  reflect  the  gorgeous  hues  of  the 
rainbow,  the  sign  of  God's  promise,  the  flag  of 
Providence,  which  we  see  suspended  in  the  sky  after 
storms  to  announce,  as  it  were,  the  victory  over  the 
enraged  elements  of  nature.  The  same  deed  which, 
if  performed  by  a  sincere  man,  might  elicit  our  hearty 
congratulation,  is  to  us  a  source  of  annoyance  and 
irritation  if  done  by  a  hypocrite. 

Religion  is  primarily  an  internal  element:  the  con- 
sciousness of  our  higher  relation.  To  strengthen 
and  to  foster  this  consciousness — what  an  inestima-- 
ble  gain!  Light  of  truth  and  holy  ardor  within, 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  5 

what  a  strong  impulse  to  ideal  realization  without! 
"Hasten,  my  dearest  Lucilius,  think  how  you  would 
accelerate  your  speed,  were  an  enemy  pursuing  you." 
— Seneca. 

CT  main)  KB'.TI  xpian  si^ 

Propero  ergo,  Lucili  carissime,  et  cogita  quantum  addi- 
turus  celeritati  fueris,  si  a  tergo  hostis  instaret. — Epist.xxxii. 


VII. 

"The  reward  of  study  (tradition)  is  the  understanding." 
— Tal 

The  Talmudic  sages  reverenced  tradition  not 
as  the  despot  of  the  mind;  but  as  its  emancipator, 
tutor  and  educator.  They  laid  great  stress  upon 
finding  the  reason  why  things  were  said  or  done  so, 
and  not  otherwise.  They  were  rational  followers  of 
tradition.  "Ask  me  a  point  of  law,"  said  Kami  har 
Chami,  "and  though  I  will  answer  according  to  rea- 
son, you  will  find  its  parallel  in  tradition." 

Rabbi  'Jochanan  grieved  when  Rabbi  Elieser,  in 
an  almost  flattering  manner,  backed  his  statements 
with  corroborative  references  to  tradition,  and 
mournfully  cried:  "Where  is  the  son  of  Lakish, 
who,  by  cross-questioning,  compelled  me  to  be  more 
exact  and  elaborate  in  my  teachings?" 

Once  it  happened,  when  the  head  of  the  Baby- 
lonian college  was  to  be  elected,  that  there  were 
two  prospective  candidates,  each  of  whom  was  dis- 
tinguished in  his  way.  Rabbi  Joseph  was  a  pro- 


6  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

found  scholar,  but  less  of  a  thinker;  Rabbah  was  an 
acute  dialectician,  but  less  of  a  scholar.  The  com- 
munity, at  a  loss  in  whose  favor  to  decide,  sent  to 
Palestine  for  advice  in  the  matter.  The  reply  was 
that  knowledge  was  preferable  to  subtlety  and  argu- 
mentive  skill,  because  without  knowledge  the  mind 
is  helpless  —  a  tabula  rasa.  Yet  Rabbi  Joseph,  upon 
whom  the  choice  fell,  voluntarily  left  the  field  and 
made  room  for  his  more  intellectual  rival. 

The  most  irrefutable  argument  in  favor  of  tradi- 
tion was  made  by  the  great  Hillel  when  he  con- 
vinced a  heathen,  who  desired  to  embrace  Judaism, 
oh  the  condition  of  being  exempt  from  the  oral  law, 
that  even  the  alphabet  cannot  be  learned  without 
the  assistance  of  tradition. 

Reason  is  not  antagonistic  to  tradition;  tradition 
is  no  opponent  of  reason.  Before  we  can  speak  we 
have  to  hear,  and  before  we  can  form  an  opinion  of 
our  own,  we  must  submit  to  the  instruction  and 
authority  of  others.  Tradition  is  the  sum  of  the 
experience  and  the  outcome  of  the  active  brain  of 
the  past.  It  is  generation  speaking  to  generation, 
age  impelling  age  —  the  magnificent  scope  of  an  im- 
mensely widened  and  broadened  present,  the  chariot 
of  progresive  thought. 

"Not  to  know  what  happened  before  one  was 
born  is  always  to  remain  a  child."  —  Cicero. 


"Nescire  autem,  quid  antea,  quam  natus  sis,  accident,  id 
est  semper  esse  puerum."  —  Or.  34. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  7 

VIII. 
"Silence  is  the  reward  of  the  visit  of  condolence." — Tal. 

Considering  what  tattlers  we  are,  and  how  un- 
manageable a  thing  the  tongue  is,  it  is  not  at  all  to 
be  wondered  at  that  the  suppression  of  speech  at 
the  house  of  mourning  has  been  declared  a  virtue. 
But  our  saying  has  a  loftier  meaning.  We  come 
grumbling  into  the  world.  Some  of  us  continue  the 
mortifying  exercise  until  a  few  shovels  of  earth  put 
an  end  to  it.  But  most  of  us  imitate  the  hooting  of 
the  owl  and  strike  the  plaintive  notes  of  the  pessi- 
mist too  often.  We  have  domineering  dispositions, 
hence  we  are  beside  ourselves  when  aught  goes 
against  our  will  and  expectation. 

A  great  calamity  is  not  the  unbearable  part  of 
life.  We  murmur  more  against  sultriness  than 
against  the  thunder.  When  the  worst  occurs  we 
are  calmed.  Resignation  is  an  unfailing  antidote. 
But  trivial  losses,  common-place  disappointments, 
avoidable  altercations,  insults  that  we  magnify,  cares 
which  we  invite  and  wants  which  we  create  are  the 
most  provoking  and  vexing  things,  nipping  so  many 
joys  in  the  bud.  And  if  we  reflect  upon  the  final 
and  inevitable  blast  or  upon  the  danger  which 
threatens  our  house,  our  very  life,  every  hour  of  our 
existence,  does  it  not  look  comical  and  irrational  to 
pine  and  complain  about  trifles?  "It  is  better  to  go 
to  the  house  of  mourning  than  to  the  house  of 


8  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

feasting,"  says  the  wise  Solomon.  For  here  our 
vanity  and  discontent  is  fed.  There  in  the  shadow 
of  the  departed  soul,  solemn  considerations  loom  up 
and  humility  and  resignation  or,  what  is  the  same, 
silence  recommends  itself  as  wisdom. 

"To  be  silent  is  learned  by  the  many  misfortunes 
in  life."  —  Seneca. 


"Tacere  multis  discitur  vitae  malis."  —  Thyest  319. 


IX. 
"The  reward  of  fasting  is  charity." — Tal. 

If  fasting  itself  were  a  religious  act  the  people 
who  gladly  starve  themselves  in  order  to  fatten  their 
purse  would  be  the  most  religious.  What  ordinance 
would  be  so  welcome  to  the  miser  as  that  which 
gave  him  the  religious  right  to  keep  his  family  in 
starvation  at  short  intervals?  But  it  was  custom- 
ary to  distribute  the  savings  in  consequence  of  fast- 
ing among  the  poor.  This  impressed  upon  the  fast- 
day  a  true  religious  character.  Self-denial,  not  for 
the  sake  of  accumulation,  but  for  the  sake  of  ex- 
tending a  helping  hand  to  those  who  cannot  do 
without  it,  is  charity,  indeed. 

"Let  us  use  those  things  intrusted  to  us,  let  us 
not  boast  of  them;  and  let  us  use  them  sparingly 


as  a  loan  deposited  with  us  which  will  soon  depart." 
— Seneca. 

(DP)  xnp-tt  Njvjym  K-IJK 

"Utamur  illis  non  giloriemur;  et  utamur  parce,  tamquam 
depositis  apud  nos  et  abituris." — Epist.  Ixxiv. 


X. 

"The  reward   of  the  funeral  oration  is  the  lamenting 
voice."— TaJ. 

"It  is  some  relief  to  weep;  grief  is  satisfied  and 
carried  off  by  tears." — Ovid. 

(DP)  "l^T  KTBDm  N"UK 

Est  quaedam  flere  voluptas,  expletur  lacrymis  egeritur- 
que  dolor." — Trist  iv.  3. 


XL 
"While  the  sand  is  yet  on  thy  feet,  sell."— To/. 

When  you  return  with  merchandise  from  your 
journey  sell  at  any  profit,  and  do  not  wait  for  a 
better  market.  This  advice  Rab  gave  to  his  son, 
when  he  said  to  him:  "I  have  done  my  best  to  edu- 
cate and  fit  you  for  the  learned  profession,  and 
failed.  Now  let  me  teach  you  how  to  conduct  your- 
self as  a  business  man." 

The    son   of   Rab   must  have   belonged   to   those 


io  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

who  liked  to  defer  things  from  day  to  day,  and  citing 
to  him  the  golden  rule  of  mercantile  pursuits, 
Rab  meant  to  teach  him  at  the  same  time  a  moral 
and  religious  lesson.  The  rule  to  create  and  not  idly 
wait  for  the  opportunity,  and  to  quickly  embrace  it 
when  it  presents  itself,  is  as  beneficial  in  religion  as 
elsewhere.  "While  we  are  deliberating,  the  oppor- 
tunity is  often  lost."  —  Syrus. 


"Ddiberando  saepe  perit  occasio. 


XII. 
"Love  overlooks  station."  —  Tal. 

When  under  the  influence  of  love,  it  is  immaterial  to 
us  whether  what  we  do  is  dignifying  or  not.  To  illus- 
trate this,  the  Talmud  refers  to  Abraham,  who,  in 
his  anxiety  to  do  the  will  of  God,  rose  up  early  in 
the  morning  and  did  the  work  of  a  servant. 

"Dignity  and  love  do  not  blend  well  or  continue 
long  together."  —  Ovid. 

(n"p  pirwo)  rrm-t  ntaao 


"Non  bene  conveniunt,  nee  in  <una  sede  morantur  majes- 
tas  et  amor."  —  Met.  ii.  846. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  11 

XIII. 

"Love  depending  upon  a  thing  ceases  when  the  thing 
ceases."  —  Tal. 

"If  it  were  expediency  that  cemented  friendships, 
the  same,  when  changed,  would  dissolve  them."  — 
Cicero. 

Cn  'D  nnx>  rarm  ntan  -m  f>B3  inna  mW  ronx 


"Si   utilitas  amicitias   conglutinaret,   eadem  commutata 
dissolveret."  —  De  Amicitia,  ix. 

XIV. 

"Woe  is  me  from  my  Maker  and  woe  is  m<e  from  my 
nature."  —  Tal 

A  small  quantum  of  religion  amounts  to  next  to 
nothing.  We  cannot  go  beyond  our  standard  of  duty, 
and  if  that  does  not  rise  above  the  ground,  the  little 
we  accomplish  will  make  us  rejoice,  and  fancy  that 
we  perform  wonders,  as  children  do  when  they  walk 
on  a  ladder  which  has  a  safe  and  horizontal  position. 
But  if  our  religious  conception  is  of  a  high  grade, 
land  to  live  religiously  means  to  us  to  give  to  life 
such  shape  and  symmetry  as  will  reflect  some  of  the 
grandeur  of  the  Divine  attributes,  then  conscience 
will  not  be  pacified  by  the  defective  performance 
of  dilettantism,  nor  rocked  to  sleep  by  the  shallow 
song  of  the  amateur.  But  in  that  struggle  for 
spiritual  dominion  and  for  emancipation  from  the 


12  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

delusion  of  earthly  splendor,  how  frequent  is  the 
repulsion!  As  an  eagle,  whose  pinion  fails  in  his 
lofty  flight  to  the  sun,  sinks  exhausted  upon  some 
strange  mountain,  where  he  has  to  tarry  to  regain 
strength,  and  is  suffering  in  the  meantime  from 
both  a  thirst  for  the  upper  air  and  a  longing  for 
more  genial  environs,  so  many  a  man  with  strong 
religious  propensities,  moving  amidst  the  tempta- 
tions and  allurements  of  the  world,  finds  himself 
often  between  two  realms — one  which  he  cannot 
call  his,  and  one  that  gives  him  no  satisfaction. 
Body  and  soul — what  opposites!  Yet  man  has  to 
live  in  both.  The  world  and  the  religious  idea — 
what  antagonists!  Yet  the  one  has  to  be  worked 
out  in  the  other.  The  flesh  is  the  loom  of  immor- 
tality; matter  the  door  to  eternity. 

The  saying  is  attributed  to  Rabbi  Meier,  who  was 
a  disciple  of  Elisha  ben  Abijah,  the  famous  apostate, 
called  in  the  Talmud  Acher.  It  bears  a  striking 
resemblance  to  the  words  of  Faust:  "Two  souls,  alas! 
within  me  contend."  The  same  sentiment  Seneca 
expresses:  "What  is  it,  Lucilius,  that  we  are  inten- 
tionally going  one  way,  still  drives  us  another?  What 
is  it  that  impels  us  to  the  very  place  from  which  we 
desire  to  recede?" 

(K"D  rnrra)  niro  ^  ••INI  nxvo  ^  -"IN 

"Zwei  Seelen  wohnen,  ach!  in  meiner  Brust,  die  eine  will 
sich  von  der  andern  trennen." — Goethe's  Faust. 

"Quid  est  hoc  Ludli,  quod  nos  alio  tendentes  alio  trahit, 
et  eo  unde  recedere  cupimus,  impellit?" — Ep.  52. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  13 

XV. 

"Woe  unto  me,  if  I  speak;  woe  unto  me  if  I  do  not 
speak." — Tal. 

Rabbi  Jochanan  Ben  Saccai  made  that  exclamation 
with  reference  to  the  frauds  and  imposters  of  his  age. 

"If  I  speak  about  them,  some  of  my  disciples  be- 
coming familiar  with  their  vulpine  practice  might  be 
tempted  to  try  it.  Should  I  not  expose  them  they  will 
continue  undisturbed  to  take  advantage  of  my  disci- 
ples who  are  ignorant  of  their  methods." 

"It  is  misery,"  says  Syrus,  "to  be  compelled  to 
suppress  the  very  thing  you  desire  to  proclaim." 

(B"D  N"im  K33)  1D1K  &6  DS  ^  "IK  1O1N  DX  ^  ^K 
"Quam  miserum  est  tacere  cogi  quod  cupias  loqui." 


XVI. 

"Woe  unto  people  who  see  and  do  not  know  what  they 
see;  stand  and  do  not  know  upon  what  they  stand." 

—Tal. 

The  saying,  though  dressed  in  sceptical  phraseol- 
ogy, opposes  scepticism.  There  is  a  difference, 
according  to  Kant,  between  scepticism  and  the  scep- 
tical method.  "Scepticism — a  principle  of  technical 
and  scientific  ignorance — undermines  the  founda- 
tions of  all  knowledge,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  destroy 
our  belief  and  confidence  therein.  The  sceptical 
method  aims  at  certainty."  Indeed,  in  the  Bible, 
especially  in  the  book  of  Job  and  Ecclesiastes,  that 


14  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

method  is  used  in  order  to  bring  about  a  complete 
surrender  of  reason  to  faith.  The  Talmud,  too, 
avails  itself  of  it,  and  has  many  a  dispute  which  is 
left  undecided  because  revelation  sheds  no  light  upon 
it,  and  the  evidences  on  both  sides  appeal  with  equal 
force  to  reason. 

On  the  same  Talmudic  page  from  which  the  above 
saying  is  copied,  there  is  a  controversy  between  the 
school  of  Hillel  and  that  of  Shammai  about  the 
priority  in  the  order  of  the  creation  of  Heaven  and 
Earth  which  embarrasses  and  confuses  reason,  be- 
cause both  theories,  contradictory  as  they  are,  seem, 
each  in  its  turn,  admissible  and  legitimate. 

The  idea  which  our  saying  is  intended  to  convey  is 
that  if  we  ignore  revelation  and  disparage  faith,  we 
will  reason  and  theorize  without  arriving  at  any  satis- 
factory conclusion.  Every  affirmative  meets  its  nega- 
tive, and  every  thesis  is  weakened  by  the  opposition 
of  an  antithesis.  Duty  the  contract  and  agreement 
of  society,  the  leading  thought  in  the  Book  of  Life, 
becomes  misty  and  illegible,  and  if  reason  unassisted 
by  revelation  does  stand  by  it,  it  is  only  as  an  inter- 
rogation. 

"O  miserable  thoughts  of  men!  O  shaded  minds! 
In  what  dangers  and  what  darkness  is  spent  what- 
ever there  is  of  life!" — Lucretius. 

p'wi  WIDW  rriKn  no  mjnv  \y«\  rnww  nv-in^  Dr6  ••IN 

(3'"1  n;wn)  nnoiy  \n  no  hy  nijnv 

"O  miseras 'hominum  mentes!  O  pectora  caeca!" — u.  13. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  15 

XVII. 
"Woe  to  the  wicked  and  woe  to  his  neighbor.  —  Tal. 

"Your  affairs  are  at  stake  when  the  next  house  is 
on  fire."  —  Horace. 


"Tua  res  agitur  paries  cum  proximus  ardet."  —  Ep.  i,  18. 


XVIII. 

"Either  company  with  man  or  death." — Tal. 

Choni  Hamagol,  who  is  highly  spoken  of  in  the 
Talmud  for  his  piety  and  learning,  once  saw  a  man 
plant  a  tree,  and  said:  "You  do  not  expect  to  eat 
the  fruit  of  this  tree;  why  do  you  plant  it?"  "I  have 
found  trees  in  the  world,"  answered  the  man;  "my 
father  planted  such  trees  for  me,  and  I  plant  them 
for  my  children."  Pleased  with  this  wise  reply, 
Choni  Hamagol  walked  away.  In  a  place  of  solitude 
he  was  overtaken  with  sleep,  where  he  slept  for 
seventy  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he 
awakened,  and  returned  home,  where  -he  inquired 
for  his  son.  He  was  dead.  His  grandson  refused 
to  recognize  him.  He  went  into  the  school  where 
the  sages  philosophized.  He  heard  his  name  men- 
tioned with  respect.  A  scholar,  discussing  a  point 
of  law,  said;  "This  is  as  clear  to-day  as  it  was  in  the 
days  of  Choni  Hamagol."  The  resurrected  man 


i6 

cried  out:  "I  am  Choni  Hamagol."     But  no  one  gave 
credence  to  his  story.     He  prayed  for  death. 

"If  his  solitude  be  such  that  he  could  not  come 
in  contact  with  man,  he  would  wish  to  get  out  of 
life." — Cicero. 

(ya  myn)  KTIWD  IN  wiran  >N 

"Tamen,  si  solitudo  tanta  sit  ut  ihominem  videre  non  pos- 
sit,  excedat  e  vita." — De  Offic  i.  43. 


XIX. 

"This  people  is  likened  to  the  dust  and  is  likened  to  the 
stars,  because  if  it  goes  down  it  is  to  the  dust,  if  it 
ascends  it  is  to  the  stars." — To/. 

We  fall  deep  and  rise  high.  Clinging  to  our 
teachings  and  principles  we  are  superior  to  all 
nations ;  abandoning  them  we  are  inferior.  Politic- 
ally and  socially  our  history  presents  the  same  oppo- 
sites.  Either  we  are  despised  or  raised  to  the  high- 
est honors;  either  are  we  called,  "the  people  chosen 
by  God"  or  "the  people  cursed  by  God." 

"Man  is  a  god  or  a  brute,"  is  a  Latin  saying 
adopted  from  Aristole. 

-lV  pIV  pK>3  D'333^  r6lt}>Dl  IDvi?  r6w»  IT  HOIK 

(r  B  n^'JD)  D'333^  ny 

"Dens  aut  bestia." 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  17 

XX. 

"Speak  moderately   about   a  man's  merits   when    he   is 
present,  but  do  him  justice  in  his  absence." — Talmud. 

Praise  is  discriminative,  hence,  not  without  offen- 
siveness ;  it  is  like  a  golden  sword  which  glorifies 
him  to  whom  it  is  given,  but  is  a  menace  to  others. 
Praise  going  in  the  direction  of  merit  hints  that 
those  who  are  unnoticed  are  undeserving.  But  we 
cannot  afford  to  treat  all  alike,  and  gratitude  insists 
upon  its  rights.  If  the  heart  is  full  of  admiration, 
why  should  it  not  come  out?  Place  the  good  man  in 
a  light  where  he  will  be  seen  to  the  best  advantage. 
Omit  nothing  in  his  life  that  tends  to  render  his 
name  more  endeared.  Let  every  gold  button,  every 
jewel,  every  grace  and  ornament  in  the  apparel  of 
the  good  soul  shine  out  with  pleasing  distinction. 
"By  praise  emulation  is  excited."  But  when  you 
face  him,  control  your  feeling  and  let  the  laudatory 
words  be  few,  or  you  run  the  risk  of  being  taken  for 
a  common  flatterer. 

So  Syrus:  "Admonish  thy  friend  secretely,  but  praise  him 
the  more  publicly." 

(m  pviyj  ns3  xta  itai  VJB3  DIK  i>B» 

Secreto  amicos  admone,  lauda  palam. 


i8  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

XXI. 

"The  scholarship  is  appreciated,  the  daughter  is  not  ap- 
preciated." —  Tal. 

Rabbi  Jochanan  desired  to  have  Seira  for  a  son-in- 
law  and  made  to  him  a  proposal  to  that  effect.  But 
Seira  who  was  a  proud  Babylonian  did  not  like  to 
marry  into  a  Palestine  family,  and  avoided  Rabbi 
Jochanan  as  much  as  he  could,  in  order  not  to  be 
compelled  to  repeat  the  refusal  and  to  embarrass  the 
sage  a  second  time.  Accidentally,  however,  they 
met  on  the  road,  and  coming  to  a  stream,  Seira 
carried  the  Rabbi  over  on  his  shoulders.  Rabbi 
Jochanan  then  remarked:  "My  wisdom  is  good 
enough,  my  daughter  is  not  good  enough  for  you." 

"Philosophy  does  not  consider  pedigree.  She  did 
not  receive  Plato  as  noble,  but  made  him  so." 

vh  prun  muo  prrniK 


"Platonem  non  accepit  nobilem  Philosophia,  sed  fecit." 

—  Seneca.     Ep.  44. 


XXII. 

"If    one    of   the    society   dies,   all    its    members    should 
tremble."—  Tal. 

Let  it  not  be  said  that  he  died  because  he  was  old 
and  feeble,  or  because  he  led  an  indiscreet  life,  or 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  19 

because  he  was  poor  and  had  not  the  means  to  attend 
to  himself  properly,  or  because  he  was  rich  and 
fattened  himself  excessively. 

"We  all  are  reserved  for  death... Xor  is  there 
any  question  about  the  thing,  but  about  the  day."- 
Scneca. 

(vp  nap;  mian  f»a  UNT  not?  rrnan  -oaiD  nnx 

Omnes  reserva>mur  ad  mortem. — Nat.  Quaest.  vi,  i. 


XXIII. 

"Do  you  think  that  fear  of  God  is  a  small  matter?"  —  Tal. 

The  rational  fear  of  God  is  the  highest  attainment 
inasmuch  as  it  excludes  the  fear  of  man,  as  Ibn  Ezra 
puts  it:  "Because  I  fear  the  One  God,  I  fear  no  one 
else."  So  we  understand  the  blessing  which  Rabbi 
Jochanan  gave  unto  his  disciples:  "May  it  be  your 
portion  to  fear  God  as  much  as  you  do  men." 
(Then  you  will  fear  men  less.) 

"To  obey  God  is  liberty."  —  Seneca. 


Deo  parere  libertas  est.  —  De  Vit.  Bet.   15. 


20  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

XXIV. 

"Does  it  follow  that  -he  is  no  great  man  because  he  does 
not  know  this?" — Tal. 

We  cannot  know  and  learn  everything,  and  that 
which  we  have  learned  and  believe  to  have  mastered, 
we  cannot  always  apply  with  equal  skill.  Rabbi 
Jochanan  was  perplexed  by  a  simple  question  of  Ves- 
pasian. Rabbi  Saphra  disappointed  his  interrogators, 
to  whom  he  had  been  highly  recommened.  Rabbi 
Jehudah  was  silent  when  asked  to  explain  a  Biblical 
passage. 

When  Plato  defined  man  as  being  a  two-footed 
animal  without  feathers,  he  was  ridiculed  by  Diogenes, 
who,  on  the  following  day  plucked  a  cock,  brought 
it  to  the  academy  and  said:  "This  is  Plato's  man.'' 

"Even  the  great  Homer  nods  at  times." — Horace. 

(T"D  p"o)  Kin  ran  jnaa  ^  mn  jrr  t&i  {NO  IDK 

Quandoque  bonus  dormitat. — Homeros  (A.  P.) 


XXV. 

"Do  you  think  that  the  sage  can  proceed  in  the  manner 
of  the  dealer  in  spices." — Tal. 

His  article  -cannot  be  put  in  the  scales.  It  is  not 
a  thing  about  which  to  say:  "I  want  just  so  much  and 
no  more  and  no  less."  You  desire  to  have  ten  differ- 
ent rules  to  apply  to  ten  different  conditions  in  life, 
and  he  imparts  only  one,  but  in  that,  the  principles 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  21 

of  all  others  are  contained,  and  it  is  for  you  to  find 
them. 

There  is  no  book,  philosophical,  theological  or 
poetical,  no  matter  how  excellent  and  exhaustive  it  be, 
that  you  could  read  with  any  benefit  if  your  reason 
and  imagination  did  not  assist  you.  Good  style  is 
but  a  pleasant  manner  of  presenting  a  subject  whereby 
an  interest  for  it  is  created.  The  way  to  truth  may 
be  pointed  out,  but  self-culture  must  do  the  rest. 

We  are  reminded  of  Lessing's  Nathan:  "Strange! 
how  is  this?  What  wills  the  Sultan  of  me?  I  came 
prepared  with  cash  —  he  asks  truth.  Truth?  As  if 
truth,  too,  were  cash  —  a  coin  disused,  that  goes  by 
weight  —  indeed,  'tis  some  such  thing.  But  a  new 
coin,  known  by  the  stamp  at  once,  to  be  flung  down 
upon  the  counter  —  it  is  not  that." 

So  Cicero:  "For  our  mode  of  speaking  is  to  be 
adapted  to  the  ear  of  the  multitude,  to  fascinate  and 
excite  their  mind  and  to  prove  things  which  are  not 
weighed  in  the  scales  of  the  goldsmith." 


Heac   enim   nostra   oratio....ad   ea   prabanda   quae   non 
aurificis   statera  .  .  .  examinantur.     (De   Or.    II,   38.) 


XXVI. 

"If  the  king  says:  '  Let  the   mountain  be  removed/  it 
will  surely  be  done." — Tal. 


22  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"When  Caesar  says:  'Do  this/  it  is  performed." 

— Shakespeare. 

Retraction,  though  it  have  the  smile  and  loveli- 
ness of  mercy,  weakens  authority. 

"It  is  something  to  hold  a  sceptre  with  firm 
hand."— Ovid. 

ipy  "nits  «npy 
CJ  3"3)  iT3  "n 

Est  -aliquid  valida  sceptra  tenere  manu. 


XXVII. 

"If  you  will  lift  the  weight,  I,  too,  will  lift."— To/. 

Barak  said  to  Deborah:  "If  you  go,  (to  war),  I, 
too,  will  go." 

"It   is   inborn   in   man   to   be   satisfied   to   be    a 
follower,  when  it  is  risky  to  be  a  leader." — Tacitus. 

vb  vh  ^i  win  Kin  min  •"« 
(:3"x  p"3)  xrh 

Insita    mortalibus    natura,    propere    sequi    quae     piget 
inchohare. — Hist,  i,  55. 


XXVIII. 

"The   peasant  clings  to  his  basket  even  if  a  crown  is 
placed  upon  his  head." — Tal. 

Rabbah  had  risen  from  extreme  poverty  to  be  at 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  23 

the  head  of  the  College  of  Pumpaditha  and  the  chief 
figure  of  his  age.  Once  he  sent  Purim  gifts  of  an 
ordinary  nature  to  a  man  of  high  station  and  refined 
taste.  Abayi  seeing  the  poor  selection  the  sage  made 
quoted  the  above  adage  as  a  possible  criticism  which 
the  patrician  might  fling  at  him,  when  receiving  the 
coarse  presents. 

Promotion,  like  a  new  and  beautiful  garment,  im- 
proves appearance,  but  does  not  change  habits.  The 
wider  the  leap  and  the  more  abrupt  the  elevation,  the 
more  difficult  is  the  task  of  perfect  assimilation. 

"Whatever  is  innate  or  inbred,  may  be  corrected 
by  art,  but  cannot  be  rooted  out."  —  Seneca. 

sfjipn  w$>  Kata  n^pn  ^ 
or  H^JO)  rvm  vh  n 


Quidquid    infixum    et    ingenitum    est    lenitur   arte,    non 
vincitur.  —  Ep.  xi. 


XXIX. 

"Had  I  not  picked  up  the  potsherd  wouldst  thou  have 
found  the  pearl?" — Tal. 

So  Rabbi  Jannai  observed,  when  his  disciple, 
Rabbi  Jochanan,  made  an  excellent  point  in  argument. 

While  we  may  claim  the  credit  of  application, 
we  ought  not  to  forget  our  indebtedness  to  our 
teachers  for  the  knowledge  we  acquire  with  their 
assistance. 


24  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

Carneades,  speaking  about  Chrysipus,  whose 
writings  he  absorbed,  said:  "If  Chrysipus  had  not 
lived  I  should  never  have  existed." 

Our  sages  have  appreciated  the  evolution  of  in- 
struction to  such  an  extent  that  they  taught:  "If  one 
learns  from  a  person  one  maxim  or  one  word,  he 
owes  him  the  respect  due  to  a  teacher."  One  maxim 
or  one  word  may  enable  us  to  uncover  pearls  of 
wisdom. 

"You  buy  an  inestimable  treasure  from  your 
teacher."  —  Seneca. 

nrDPN  <D  Kaon  -(? 
('3  'DT)  n»rnn» 


Emis  .  .  .  rem    inestimabilem  .  .  .bonarum     artium     prae- 
ceptore.  —  De  Ben.  iv. 


XXX. 

"Had  not  a  great  man  praised  thee,  I  might  have  taken 
exception  to  what  you  say." — Tal. 

We  rely  not  only  upon  the  superior  judgment 
of  the  great  man,  but  also  upon  his  superior  sense  of 
justice,  and  taking  it  for  granted  that  he  will  not 
stoop  to  misrepresentation,  we  extend  courtesy  to 
his  protege. 

"Good  men  will  yield  thee  praise,  then  slight  the 
rest." 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  25 

"  Tis  best  praise-worthy  to  have  pleased  the  best." 
—  Capt.  John  Smith. 

Cicero  expresses  the  same  idea:  "For  it  is  un- 
doubtedly truer  that  applause  is  sweet,  when  it  pro- 
ceeds from  those  whose  own  life  has  been  most 
applauded." 

d"v  '»:r)  '3i  ran 


Est  enim  profecto  jucunda  laus,  quae  ab  iis  proficiscitur, 
qui  ipsi  in  laude  yixerunt.  —  Fam.  xv,  6. 


XXXI. 

"Were  it  not  for  this  day,  there  would  be  many  Josephs." 

—Tal. 

Rab  Joseph  was  in  habit  of  giving  a  banquet  to 
his  friends  on  the  feast  of  weeks,  because  to  the  event 
of  that  day  he  felt  indebted  for  his  exalted  position. 

There  would  be  more  consistency,  gratitude  and 
light  of  beneficence  in  the  world,  if  those  who  enjoy 
distinction  should  honor  the  sources  which  lend  it  to 
them. 

"Law  is  what  distinguishes  right  and  wrong. 
—  Cicero. 


Lex  justorum  injustorumque  distinotio.  —  Leg.  ii,  5. 


26  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

XXXII. 

"If  this  prince  will  rule,  thou  wilt  be  his  .subject,  and  if 
that  prince  will  rule,  thou  wilt  be  his  subject.  (There 
is  nothing  for  thee  to  gain.) — Talmud. 

So  the  wife  of  On  Ben  Peleth  reasoned  with  her 
husband  when  he  intimated  to  her  his  intention  to 
join  the  conspiracy  of  Korah  against  Moses. 

The  moral  is:  "We  should  not  take  sides  in 
contests  of  the  great.  Let  them  fight  it  out  among 
themselves.  So  Seneca: 

"What  is  it  to  you,  Marcus  Cato!  It  is  not  a 
question  of  liberty.  The  question  is  whether  Caesar 
or  Pompejus  shall  be  master  of  the  commonwealth. 
The  conquest  does  not  concern  you.  What  matters 
it  to  you  who  of  them  conquers?" 
N2-I  ID  W 

(B"p  nmo) 

Quaeritur  utrum   Caesar,    an    Pompejus   possideat    rem 
publicam.     Dominus  eligitur,  quid  tua,  qui  vincerit. — Ep.  14. 


XXXIII. 

"If  the  book,  then  no  sword,  if  the  sword,  then  no  book." 
—Tal. 

Peace  favors  and  war  impedes  culture  and  refine- 
ment. When  the  book  glories,  the  sword  is  rusty,  and 
when  the  sword  is  unsheathed,  the  dust  accumulates 
on  the  book. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  27 

No  man  can  be  both  a  scholar  and  a  soldier;  a 
servant  of  God,  and  an  enemy  of  His  creature;  an  up- 
holder of  religion,  and  an  assasin  of  truth. 

We  are  reminded  of  Lucan:  "Faith  and  probity 
are  not  found  among  the  men  who  follow  the  camp." 


(T'"1  t"y)  JOBD  1t 

Nulla    fides    probitasque    viris    qui    castra    sequuntur.  — 
Bel.  Civ.  x. 


XXXIV. 

"If  you  have  hired  out  yourself,  you  have  to  beat  the 
wool  if  you  are  told  to  do  so." — Tal. 

We  should  either  not  undertake  to  do  anything 
which  is  beneath  our  station,  or  we  must  abide  by  the 
agreement. 

Rab  came  to  Nahardua,  and  incognito  performed 
the  function  of  interpreter.  At  that  time  the  leading 
Rabbi  of  the  city  did  not  speak  directly  to  the  people. 
He  suggested  the  text  and  the  points  to  be  discussed, 
but  the  homily  was  worked  out,  and  delivered  in  the 
idiom  of  the  masses,  by  one  who  was  engaged  for  that 
purpose,  and  was  called  Methurgeman  or  Emora. 

In  some  instances  he  towered  intellectually  high 
above  the  Rabbi,  as  was  the  case  with  Judah  Bar 
Nachmaini  who  acted  as  speaker  for  one  so  ignorant 
that  he  could  not  even  furnish  a  suitable  text  for  the 


28  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

occasion,  and  he,  astonished  at  the  uninstructed 
usurper,  cried  out  in  the  words  of  the  prophet:  "Woe, 
if  it  is  said  to  a  piece  of  wood  awake,  and  to  a  stone 
arise." 

It  was  not  so  bad  with  Rabbi  Shilo.  His  erudi- 
tion entitled  him  to  the  position  which  he  occupied 
with  dignity.  But  his  scholarship  was  inferior  to  that 
of  Rab,  and  as  the  latter  was  progressing  in  his  dis- 
course, it  dawned  upon  Rabbi  Shilo  that  his  tempor- 
ary Methurgeman  was  no  less  a  personality  than  the 
famous  Rab.  At  once  he  rose  from  his  seat,  and 
interrupting  the  speaker,  said:  "I  am  not  worthy  to 
preside  where  you  stand."  Rab,  however,  insisted 
upon  finishing  the  work  he  began. 

"Either  do  not  begin  or  finish,"  is  also  a  Latin 
proverb. 

pc  n<!>  man  ^ 
CD  'ov)  moj; 

Aut  nunquam  tentes,  out  perfice. 


XXXV. 

"The  parts   of  one's   own  bodily   structure   will   testify 
against  him." — Tal. 

The  idea  is'  not  that  we  can  know  a  man's  mind 
and  character  by  looking  at  him.  "Do  not  judge  the 
contents  by  the  pitcher,  is  a  Talmudic  sentiment 
which  reminds  of  Shakespeare,  when  he  says;  "There 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  29 

is  no  art  to  find  the  mind's  construction  in  the  face." 

Is  the  spirit  of  a  Samuel,  an  Isaiah,  Ezrah,  Akiba, 
Copernicus,  Goethe  in  the  face?  How  many  people 
there  have  been  and  are,  who  likened  them  in  size  and 
weight  of  body,  and  resembled  them  in  complexion 
and  features,  but  intellectually  were  no  more  like 
them  than  is  the  moon  like  the  sun. 

Moses  had  to  perform  wonders  with  his  staff  to 
prove  to  Pharaoh  that  he  was  sent  by  God.  The  pro- 
phet Elisha  was  molested  by  the  bad  boys  for  his 
bald-headedness,  and  perhaps  some  other  bodily 
defect.  Hannah  was  taken  for  an  inebriate  by  the 
High  Priest  Eli.  Rabbi  Jehudah  was  told  that  he  re- 
sembled a  swine  breeder  more  than  a  scholar,  because 
he  had  a  flushed  face.  In  a  conversation  with  Rabbi 
Joshua  Ben  Chananyah  who  had  an  ungainly  appear- 
ance a  Roman  princess  expressed  her  astonishment 
that  such  a  bright  intellect  should  have  no  manifesta- 
tion in  facial  delineation. 

Homer  was  blind,  and  Sophocles,  charged  by  his 
sons  with  silliness,  read  his  latest  work  to  his  judges, 
and  thus  proved  that  he  was  not  the  dotard  com- 
plained of.  Socrates  was  declared  an  immoral  man 
by  a  famous  phrenologist. 

Diognes  Leartius,  tells  about  Cleanthes:  "He 
boasted  that  on  the  principles  of  Zeno  he  could  judge 
a  man's  character  by  his  looks.  A  young  man 
brought  him  a  profligate  fellow  having  a  hardy  look 
from  working  a  good  deal  in  the  field,  and  requested 


30  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

him  to  tell  his  moral  character.  Cleanthes,  having 
hesitated  a  little,  bade  him  depart,  and  as  he  departed 
he  sneezed:  "I  have  "the  fellow  now,"  said  Cleanthes, 
"he  is  a  debauchee!" 

But  what,  if  that  fellow  had  not  sneezed,  the- 
philosopher  would  have  been  puzzled. 

Of  course,  we  cannot  ignore  and  disparage  ap- 
pearance. Is  it  not  by  it  that  we  can  tell  one  thing 
from  the  other?  There  is  truth  in  the  popular  say- 
ing: "Appearance  is  everything."  Science  is  nothing 
else  than  our  knowledge  of  appearances.  But  the 
appearance  of  mind  and  moral  character  are  works 
and  actions.  Would  Raphael's  hands,  without  the 
great  work  he  performed  have  secured  for  him  his 
renown  of  a  great  artist?  What,  if  Epaminondas  had 
lacked  the  opportunity  to  manifest  his  moral  courage, 
would  history  have  taken  notice  of  him?  The  halo 
of  Moses  minus  his  stupendous  achievements  would 
have  been  a  mere  cipher. 

What  then  is  the  meaning  of  our  saying?  That 
things  done  in  all  secrecy,  will  in  many  instances  leave 
traces  upon  him  by  which  they  will  be  known.  "If  a 
calamity  has  befallen  the  community,"  says  the  Tal- 
mud "it  is  the  duty  of  every  individual  to  mourn  and 
let  no  one  say:  "I  will  mourn  publicly,  but  do  good 
unto  my  heart  in -safe  retreat,  who  will  know  what  I 
am  doing?" 

We  are  reminded  of  Dryden: 

"Sorrow  nor  joy  can  be  disguised  by  art; 
Our  foreheads  blab  the  secrets  of  the  heart." 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  31 

Cicero  declares  that  "the  countenance  is  the  im- 
age of  the  mind,  and  the  eyes  are  its  interpreters," 
but  involuntarily  admits  their  deceptiveness. 


n  p'yo 
(&o  myn)  'n  DKJ  ny  DDK 

"Imago  animi  vultus,  indices  oculi.  —  De  Ora-t.  iii,  59. 


XXXVI. 

"When  the  sun  rises  the  weak  rise." — Tal. 

To  the  sick  and  troubled  heart  the  shades  of 
night  are  peculiarly  depressing,  and  the  very  stars 
are  emblematic  of  flowers  strewn  upon  graves. 

In  such  an  unhappy  mood,  Young  wrote:  "Night, 
sable  goddess!  from  her  ebon  throne,  in  rayless 
majesty,  now  stretches  forth  her  leaden  sceptre  o'er 
a  slumbering  world.  Silence,  how  dead!  and  darkness, 
how  profound!  Nor  eye,  nor  listening  ear,  an  object 
finds;  Creation  sleeps.  Tis  as  the  general  pulse  of 
life  stood  still,  and  nature  made  a  pause,  an  awful 
pause!  prophetic  of  her  end." 

Morning  is  resurrection.  Beaming  with  awakj 
ened  glories  the  world  rises  as  from  an  abyss  of  dark- 
ness to  new  life  and  expectation.  Man  recovered  from 
his  stupor  looks  again  for  his  opportunity.  There  is 
some  relief  in  the  chamber  of  anguish  and  sorrowful 
watchfulness. 


32  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"The  morn  is  up  again,  the  dewy  morn,  with 
breath  all  incense,  and  with  cheek  all  bloom,  laughing 
the  clouds  away  with  playful  scorn  and  living  as  if 
earth  contained  no  tomb." — Byron. 

Figuratively,  the  saying  means  that  when  the 
good  man  is  in  the  ascendency,  others  ascend  with 
him.  It  is  associated  in  the  Talmud  with  a  beautiful 
myth.  Abraham  wore  a  jewel  which  restored  to 
health  all  the  sick  that  had  an  opportunity  to  cast  a 
glance  at  it.  When  the  Patriarch  died,  the  Almighty 
hung  it  upon  the  sun.  Now,  Abraham's  jewel  is  the 
blessing  of  God,  that  he  shall  be  a  benefit  to  those 
who  wish  him  well.  That  blessing  did  not  cease 
with  Abraham's  death,  but  was  transferred  upon  the 
righteous  who  followed  him.  In  the  Bible,  the  right- 
eous are  compared  to  the  rising  sun. 

"One  comfort,"  says  Carlyle,  "is  that  great  men 
taken  up  in  any  way  are  profitable  company.  We 
cannot  look,  however,  imperfectly  upon  a  great  man 
without  gaining  something  by  him.  He  is  the  living 
light-fountain  which  it  is  good  and  pleasant  to  be 
near.  The  light  which  enlightens,  which  has  enlight- 
ened the  darkness  of  the  world,  and  this  not  as  a 
kindled  lamp  only,  but  rather  as  a  natural  luminary 
shining  by  the  gift  of  Heaven." 

(TD  3"3  KVYp  ^VX  KDV  ^TN 
Apollo  morbos  depellit. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  33 

XXXVII. 

"Who  is  a  hero?    He  who  subdues  'his  passions." 

That  the  man  of  great  and  extraordinary  power  is 
a  hero  is  admitted  by  all.  There  is,  however,  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion  with  regard  to  the  sphere  of  exercis- 
ing and  concentrating  that  power.  The  people  in 
general  hail  it  in  the  external.  Their  hero  destroys 
cities,  overthrows  kingdoms  and  conquers  nations. 
But  the  wise  seek  heroism  in  the  breast.  With  them 
the  question  is  not,  how  many  people  one  holds  in 
obedience  to  his  will,  and  in  subjugation  to  his  whims, 
but  how  much  influence  and  commanding  power  he 
has  over  himself.  The  microcosm  of  his  inner  being 
is  the  seat  and  realm  of  true  heroism.  The  greatest 
hero  is  he  who  has  the  requirements  to  plant  himself 
the  idol  of  his  environs,  but  scorns  the  opportunity 
in  conformity  to  nobler  principles. 

The  heroes  of  the  people  with  some  exceptions 
acted  the  dual  part  of  strength  and  weakness; 
bravery  and  cowardice;  the  master  and  the  slave. 
Quite  interesting  and  suggestive  is  Lucian  on  the 
subject,  and  his  dialogue  of  Alexander  and  Hannibal, 
invoking  the  aid  of  Minos  to  decide  their  dispute 
about  precedence,  speaks  for  itself. 

Says  Hannibal:  "I  took  the  Celtibarians,  and  con- 
quered the  Western  Galatians ;  passing  over  great 
mountains,  I  overran  all  those  parts  about  the  Eri- 
danus,  and  subverted  so  many  cities;  and  subdued  the 


34  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

plains  of  Italy,  and  came  over  to  the  suburbs  of  the 
ruling  city  Rome,  and  slew  so  many  on  one  day  that 
I  measured  their  rings  by  the  bushels,  and  bridged 
rivers  with  the  dead  .  . .  All  these  things  I  did  as  a 
Barbarian,  and  unskilled  in  Grecian  literature,  and  I 
never  recited  Homer  as  he  (Alexander)  did,  nor  was 
I  educated  by  the  sophist  Aristotle,  using  as  my  guide 
a  good  natural  education.  These  are  the  things  in 
which  I  declare  myself  to  be  superior  to  Alexander." 

To  this  speech  of  Hannibal,  Alexander  makes 
the  following  reply:  "I  ought,  indeed,  answer  nothing, 
O  Minos!  to  a  man  so  impudent.  For  fame  is  suffi- 
cient to  inform  you  how  great  a  king  I  was,  and  how 
great  a  robber  he ....  Being  elected  general,  I 
deigned  not  to  be  contented  with  ruling  as  many  as 
my  father  left  me;  but  comprehending  the  entire 
world  in  my  ambition,  and  thinking  it  a  shocking 
thing  if  I  did  not  rule  over  all,  I  invaded  Asia  and 
conquered  .  .  .  and  taking  .  .  .  and  constantly  subdu- 
ing all  before  me  .  . .  After  this,  O  Minos!  you  remem- 
ber how  many  dead  I  sent  you  down  on  one  day.  The 
ferry-man  says  that  his  boat  was  not  sufficient  for 
them  .  .  .  Do  you  judge,  oh  Minos!  For  these  few 
observations  are  enough  out  of  many." 

The  Talmud  relates  the  following  story  about 
Alexander.  He  besieged  a  city  in  Africa,  which  was 
inhabited  exclusively  by  women,  but  overcome  in 
argument  by  the  female  deputation  that  came  to  him 
to  negotiate  for  peace,  he  promised  to  withdraw  his 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  35 

forces,  and  to  do  no  injury  to  the  city.  He  requested 
them,  however,  to  bring  him  bread,  and  oh!  how 
great  was  his  disappointment,  when  in  place  of  bread, 
they  brought  him  gold.  He  assured  them  that  he 
meant  what  he  said,  and  had  no  desire  for  gold,  but 
was  hungry,  and  actually  craved  for  bread,  and  the 
women  shouted:  "What!  didst  thou  have  no  bread  at 
home  that  thou  hast  come  that  perilous  distance  to  beg 
for  it?"  Hereupon  he  wrote  on  the  gate  of  the  city: 
"I,  Alexander  the  Great,  have  been  a  fool  until  I  came 
to  this  place,  where  I  have  learned  wisdom." 

That  Hegel  should  have  inveighed  against  those 
who,  favoring  a  calmer  polity,  questioned  the  great- 
ness of  Macedonia's  most  discontented  son,  seems 
strange,  to  say  the  least.  It  were  wicked  to  think 
that  the  famous  philosopher  had  the  ambition  that  his 
voice  be  appreciated  in  the  house  of  the  Prussian 
Pharaoh. 

Shakespeare's  Roman  play,  Julius  Caesar,  is  per- 
haps nothing  else  than  a  satire  on  Rome's  heroes. 
They  all  look  upon  life  as  upon  a  plaything,  yet  with 
what  a  resolution  they  brandish  the  sword  in  the 
interest  of  their  ambition,  and  how  rapturously  they 
speak  about  virtue.  What  a  comical  heroism!  Is 
the  life  held  so  cheap,  worth  the  steel  and  the  senti- 
ment they  lavishly  bestow  upon  it? 

Even  Brutus,  "the  noblest  of  them  all,"  is  no 
satisfactory  personification  of  the  higher  conception 
of  true  heroism.  He  has  brilliant  traits  in  character, 


36 

but  is  too  conscious  of  them,  and  that  consciousness 
breeds  self-admiration.  In  spite  of  his  moral  super- 
iority, he  sees  too  often  through  the  eyes  of  Cassius. 
and  is  his  follower  when  he  should  be  his  leader.  He 
despises  the  method  of  Cassius  of  raising  funds,  but 
applies  to  him  for  pecuniary  aid  when  in  need,  and 
loses  his  temper  when  refused.  His  philosophy  is 
not  enough  to  hold  him  when  the  thought  of  Portia's 
death  comes  upon  him  without  the  strength  which  the 
spirit  of  the  grape  administers.  Losing  his  battles, 
he,  rather  than  bear  the  ignominy  of  defeat,  puts  an 
end  to  his  life — an  act  for  which  he  boldly  censured 
Cato. 

The  Bible,  too,  unfolds  a  picture  of  perverted 
heroism  in  the  life  of  Samson.  That  muscular  Danite 
kills  lions,  removes  cities,  but  is  a  helpless  boy  in  the 
presence  of  Delilah — a  characteristic  which  prompted 
our  sages  to  remark:  "Samson  followed  his  eyes." 

"It  is  foolish  to  command  others,  and  not  to  be 
able  to  control  ourselves." — Syrus. 

Cn  nnx)  nv  nx  tpnian  TITJ  IDPN 

"Stuitum  est  imperare  caeteros  qui  nesoit  sibi." 


XXXVIII. 
"Who  is  wise?    He  who  learns  from  every  man." — Tal. 

To   Pythagoras  we  are   indebted   for  the  term 
philosopher.  Herefusedtobe  called  wise,  and  thought 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  37 

that  man  could  be  at  best  only  a  lover  of  wisdom. 
For  the  same  reason  our  sages  preferred  the  title  of 
Talmid  Chacham  (pupil  of  the  wise)  to  that  of  wise. 

The  wise  man  is  pre-eminently  a  student,  and 
learns  even  when  teaching.  Rabbi  Chaninah  used  to 
say:  "Much  I  have  learned  from  my  teachers,  more 
from  my  associates,  but  most  from  my  pupils." 

It  is  a  bad  sign,  if  one  thinks  he  has  finished 
school,  or  he  has  to  look  to  the  clouds  for  a  teacher. 
Thought  is  bountifully  diffused.  Rabbi  Jochanan 
taught  that  by  being  observant,  we  could  learn  many 
a  moral  lesson  even  in  the  zoological  realm. 

King  Solomon,  you  remember,  refers  to  the  ant, 
that  creeping  dot,  as  an  efficient  professor  of  economy 
and  .industry. 

As  to  man,  how  much  could  be  learned  from 
him?  "Surely,  the  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man." 

"No  one  is  sufficiently  wise  by  himself." — Plautus. 
Cn  nnx)  DIK  fc»  noftn  Dan 

Nemo  solus  satis  sapis. — Mil.  Glor.  iii. 


XXXIX. 

"Who  is  honored?    He  who  honors  others." — Tal. 

It  is  said  about  Napoleon,  as  he  returned  in  a 
coach  from  his  successful  wars  with  Italy  and  Austria, 
the  people  everywhere  manifested  their  loyalty  and 
admiration  in  a  loud  and  conspicuous  manner,  but 


38  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

he  took  little  notice  of  all  the  proceedings.  Bourienne, 
who  sat  with  the  Emperor,  said  to  him:  "It  must  be 
delightful  to  be  greeted  with  such  demonstrations  of 
love  and  attachment."  "Bah!"  Napoleon  said,  "this 
same  unthinking  crowd,  under  a  slight  change  of  cir- 
cumstances, would  just  as  eagerly  follow  me  to  the 
scaffold."— Little's  H.  L. 

Honor  must  be  reciprocal.  He  who  receives  it 
must  have  a  good  opinion  about  the  one  who  confers 
it,  and  unless  one  sees  and  honors  God  in  His 
creation  all  honors  are  farcical. 

"He  who  can . .  .  honor  anyone,  will  quickly  be 
honored  himself." — Seneca. 

Cn  rvax)  nv-on  nx  naaon  13120  nr» 

Qui  sic  aliquem  vereri  potest  cito  erit  verendus. — Ep.  jd. 


XL. 
"Who  is  rich?    He  who  takes  delight  in  his  portion." 

The  most  of  us  claim  a  share  in  wisdom.  We  may 
have  minutes  of  recognizing  our  stupidity,  but  self- 
infatuation  quickly  returns,  and  is  the  printing  press 
of  our  opinions,  and  the  mint  of  our  actions.  What 
is  more  natural  to  us  than  that  we  should  be  num- 
bered among  the  wise?  Do  we  not  despise  that  man 
as  a  blasphemer  who  dares  to  question  our  wisdom? 
Not  so  as  to  riches.  Our  discontent  and  incessant 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  39 

struggle  for  more  and  more  evidences  that  the  world 
is  a  poor-house  and  its  inmates  are  beggars. 

The  fact  however,  is  that  the  rich  by  far  out- 
number the  wise,  and  if  there  are  comparatively  so 
few  who  consider  themselves  actually  rich,  it  is  on 
account  of  the  scarcity  of  wisdom. 

"You  cannot,  with  propriety,  call  him  happy  who 
possesses  much;  he  more  justly  claims  the  title  of 
happy  man  who  understands  how  to  make  a  wise  use 
of  the  gifts  of  the  gods." — Horace. 

mi  nm  ii>  e^e>  hi  VB>y  I.IPN 
(ra  nae>)  o"n  *ian  npya 

Non  possidentem  multa  vocaveris  recte  beatum;  radius 
occupat  nomen  beati,  qui  deorum  muneribus  sapienter  uti. 

— Ode   iv,  9. 


XLI. 

"Which  is  the  summum  bonum?    A  good  heart." — To/. 

The  dialogue  form  of  philosophy  is  older  than 
are  the  writings  of  Plato.  The  book  of  Job  is  dia- 
logue from  beginning  to  the  end,  and  a  more  inspir- 
ing philosophy  is  nowhere  found. 

In  the  Talmud  that  method  of  philosophising  is 
fruitfully  applied,  and  our  heading  is  an  abreviation  of 
a  paragraph  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Sayings  of 
the  Fathers,  where  a  master  and  his  disciples  briefly 
discuss  a  subject  which  is  at  the  bottom  of  all  sound 
philosophy. 


40  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

Rabbi  Jochanan,  the  founder  of  the  famous 
school  at  Jamnia,  proposes  to  his  disciples  to  care- 
fully consider  that  something  in  which  the  truly  reli- 
gious life  centers.  "Go  and  see,"  he  says,  "which 
virtue,  which  quality  a  man  should  cultivate  with  the 
utmost  care  and  solicitude." 

Rabbi  Elieser  answered:  "A  good  eye,"  that  is 
contentedness  and  pleasantness,  which  regards  the 
whole  world  as  if  it  were  a  bouquet  in  the  hand  of 
God. 

Rabbi  Joshua  answered:  "A  good  friend."  This 
sage  thought  that  we  cannot  afford  to  treat  all  alike, 
but  out  of  the  whole  mass  of  men  we  ought  to  select 
some  one  to  whom  we  should  attach  ourselves,  and 
that  some  one,  it  is  understood,  must  be  a  good  per- 
son, capable  of  uplifting  his  associate. 

Seneca  quotes  Epicure  to  have  said:  "You  must 
be  more  careful  with  whom  you  eat,  than  what  you 
eat.  For  good  cheer  without  a  friend  is  the  life  of  a 
lion  or  wolf." 

Rabbi  Jose  answered:  "A  good  neighbor,"  that 
is  good  surroundings. 

"I  consider  neighborhood  the  first  step  to  friend- 
ship."— Terence. 

Rabbi  Sirnon  answered:  "Looking  ahead." 
"The  cautious  seldom  err." — Confucius. 

Rabbi  Elasar  answered:  "A  good  heart."  And 
the  master  declared  this  answer  the  best  of  all. 

That  the  golden  rule  is  altogether  omitted  from 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  41 

this  discussion  goes  to  show  that  Hillel  did  not  press 
it  upon  his  disciples  as  the  test  and  criterion  of  the 
good  life,  and  the  sum  total  of  Judaism.  Had  he  done 
so,  then  Rabbi  Jochanan,  who  was  the  exponent  of 
his  teachings,  would  either  not  have  propounded  the 
question  of  'the  chief  good  which  he  must  have  re- 
garded as  settled,  or  if  he  had  done  it  with  a  view  of 
enlightening  his  disciples  on  the  subject,  or  of  testing 
their  reasoning  and  speculative  faculty,  he  would,  at 
least,  have  done  his  master  the  honor  of  quoting  his 
favorite  saying  as  the  torch  of  life. 

Hillel  gave  utterance  to  that  rule  accidentally 
only,  and  in  a  sense  suitable  to  the  occasion.  A 
heathen  came  to  him,  and  expressed  the  desire  of 
embracing  Judaism  on  the  condition  to  be  instructed 
in  all  its  precepts  and  tenets  while  he  stood  on  one 
foot.  Hillel  saw  that  he  had  to  deal  with  an  impudent 
fellow.  "Stans  in  pede  una,"  (standing  on  one  foot) 
was  a  satirical  phrase.  And  he  cited  the  golden  rule  as 
a  lesson  which  the  heathen  was  most  in  need  of  at  the 
time.  "What  is  disagreeable  to  you,  do  not  unto 
others."  Hillel  meant  to  say:  "You  came  to  have 
sport  with  me,  how  would  you  like  it  if  others  sported 
with  you?" 

To  declare  that  rule  the  quintessence  of  Judaism ; 
the  apex,  and  all  other  teachings  as  its  supporters ; 
the  great  general,  for  whose  safety  and  elevation  all 
other  teachings  and  usages  are  in  the  field,  is  to  make 
the  idea  of  God  subservient  to  the  purpose  of  man. 


42  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

Moreover,  that  rule  raising,  as  it  does,  the  ego  of  each 
individual  as  the  measure  and  standard  of  the  conduct 
of  others,  as  the  supreme  court  and  sovereign  of  our 
entire  being,  is  destructive  to  all  rule,  since  there  is 
among  men  a  signal  difference  in  the  temperament, 
taste,  desire,  circumstances  and  even  in  the  concep- 
tion of  right  and  wrong.  According  to  that  rule,  a 
man  has  to  consult  in  every  case  his  likes  and  dislikes, 
and  make  his  actions  fit  the  one  or  the  other.  A  man, 
for  instance,  who  detests  to  be  advised  and  corrected, 
would  have  absolutely  no  right  to  let  others  have  the 
benefit  of  his  advice.  A  man  who  thinks  it  shameful 
and  unmanly  to  receive  charity,  and  is  satisfied  in  his 
mind  that,  were  he  poor,  he  would  rather  starve  than 
make  use  of  the  kindness  of  people,  would  be  per- 
fectly justified  to  refuse  every  application  of  the  needy 
for  assistance. 

Time  and  again  inquiry  was  made  into  the  fun- 
damental principle  of  Judaism  with  no  favorable 
result,  which  goes  to  show  that  there  has  been  no 
unanimity  on  the  subject  among  the  learned  in  Israel, 
and  that  it  is  an  ungrateful  task,  as  the  Marsho  puts 
it,  "to  make  Judaism  stand  on  one  foot."  (See  the 
following  chapter.) 

Rabbi  Elasar's  answer  that  the  good  heart  is 
the  chief  good,  leaves  enough  room  for  speculation. 
What  constitutes  the  good  heart?  Is  not  the  good 
heart  easily  misled?  Can  the  good  heart  be  acquired? 
But  in  the  sense  that  the  chief  good  is  the  good  which 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  43 

has  its  spring  in  the  heart,  it  may  be  said  that  Rabbi 
Elasar  struck  the  highest  keynote.  Without  the  heart 
pleasantness  is  only  a  painted  flower,  friendship  an 
impossibility,  foresight  makes  the  pedant,  and  religion 
leads  to  hypocrisy. 

According  to  Seneca,  the  chief  good  depends 
upon  the  judgment  and  the  possession  of  a  virtuous 
mind. 

Dixn  ra  pyre?  raio  i~n  arn  IPK 

C3  's  JTQK)  ma  3^ 

Summum  bonum  in  ipso  iudicio  est,  et  habitu  optimae 
mentis. — De  Vit  Bea.  ix. 


XLII. 

"  Which  passage  in  the  Bible,"  says  Bar  Kappara,  "com- 
prises all  the  essentials  of  the  Thora  (Law)?  That 
which  in  the  book  of  Proverbs  reads:  'In  all  thy 
ways  asknowledge  Him,  and  He  will  make  level  thy 
path.' " 

Bar  Kappara  was  not  the  only  Talmudic  sage 
who  read  the  Bible  with  such  discrimination.  Other 
sages  have  done  the  same  thing.  Rabbi  Akiba,  for 
instance,  designated  the  injunction  of  love  for  fellow- 
man  as  the  emphasis  of  revelation.  Ben  Azai  found 
more  light  in  the  words :  "This  is  the  book  of  the  gen- 
erations of  Adam."  Ben  Zoma  recognized  the  supre- 
macy of  the  passage:  "Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Eternal  is 


44  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

our  God,  the  Eternal  is  One.  "Ben  Pazai  was  satisfied 
that  the  words:  "And  the  one  lamb  thou  shalt  take 
in  the  morning,"  were  the  most  significant  in  Scrip- 
tures. And  while  Rabbi  Simlai  accorded  to  the 
teaching  of  the  Prophet  Amos:  "Seek  me  and  ye  shall 
live,"  the  merit  of  comprehensiveness,  Rabbi  Nach- 
man  was  more  pleased  with  the  words  of  Habakkuk: 
"And  the  righteous  shall  live  by  his  faith." 

Even  in  the  Bible,  where  every  letter  stands  for 
something  and  every  dot  is  suggestive,  there  is  a 
gradation  of  meaning.  Happy,  he  who  finds  in  it  the 
most  fertile  spot,  and  the  fountain-head  of  instruction 
and  enlightenment. 

Reading  is  a  privilege.  The  book  is  the  chief 
victory  of  man.  "Were  I  to  pray  for  a  taste,"  says 
Sir  John  Hershel,  "which  should  stand  me  instead 
under  every  variety  of  circumstances,  and  be  a  source 
of  happiness  and  cheerfulness  to  me  during  life,  and  a 
shield  against  its  ills,  however  things  might  go  amiss, 
and  the  world  frown  upon  me,  it  would  be  a  taste  for 
reading."  But  there  is  economy  to  be  used  in  that 
exercise.  Not  all  books  are  desirable  auxiliaries,  and 
the  pages  of  the  best  book  have  not  the  same  value 
and  importance.  To  know  to  imbibe  the  good  of  the 
good  i>ook,  as  the  bee  knows  how  to  extract  honey 
from  the  flower,  is  an  enviable  accomplishment. 

To  be  sure,  the  Jew  knew  how  to  use  his  Bible. 
It  was  to  him  in  its  entirety  the  gift  of  God.  He  read 
it  again  and  again.  Yet  he  took  out  of  it  one  verse 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  45 

which  he  attached  to  his  name — the  first  letter  of  that 
verse  corresponded  to  the  first  letter  of  his  name — 
and  that  was  his  theme  of  meditation  in  solitude,  his 
weapon  in  danger,  his  protector  against  temptation, 
a  lamp  to  his  feet,  the  companion  of  his  mind,  and  a 
part  of  his  consciousness.  It  was  the  diminutive 
Bible  he  carried  in  his  very  bosom,  and  hoped  to  use 
it  as  a  pass-word  at  the  Gate  of  Heaven.  "That  I, 
too,  do,"  Seneca  writes,  "of  the  many  things  I  read, 
I  apprehend  somewhat." 

p!>n  min  <au  bt?  ruop  nene  NTI  irx 
(J"D  rvo-Q)  m 

"Hoc  ipse  quoque  facio:  ex  pluribus,  quae  legi  aliquid 
adprehendo." — Ep.  ii. 


XLIII. 

"And  he  brought  a  very  fine  glass  and  broke  it,  and  they, 
(the  invited  guests)    became  sad."  —  Tal. 

Rabbi  Ashi,  at  the  wedding  of  his  son  sought  to 
lower  the  tone  of  hilarity  of  the  invited  guests  by 
breaking  a  glass  in  a  conspicuous  manner. 

This  incident  explains  the  origin  of  the  usage  of 
breaking  a  glass  at  a  wedding.  (See  Tosefoth.) 

"Fortune  is  like  glass,  it  breaks  while  shining." 

—  Syrus. 


"Fortuna  vitrea  est,  turn  cum  splendet  frangitur." 


46  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

XLIV. 

"The  world  has  been  given  over  to  fools." 

Rabbi  Acha  made  the  insinuation  when  he  was 
informed  that  Rabbi  Chisdai,  a  high  state  official, 
could  give  no  satisfactory  answer,  when  asked  by 
King  Shabur,  whether  there  was  an  injunction  in  the 
Bible  concerning  burial. 

"All  places  are  replete  with  fools." — Cicero. 

(1"D  '-IHJD)  'NPEtn  «T3  Vxby  nDD'K 
"Stultorum  plena  sunt  omnia."— Ep.  ix,  22. 


XLV. 

"Man  does  not  know  whereby  he  may  profit." — Tal. 

Cromwell  used  to  say:  "One  never  goes  up  so 
high  as  when  one  goes,  and  one  does  not  know 
where  one  goes." 

"Let  your  hooks  always  be  ready;  in  the  pool 
where  you  least  expect,  there  a  fish  will  be." — Ovid. 
(Y'j  D'riDB)  i3ne>D  noa  jnv  DIN  px 

"Semper  tibi  pendeat  hamus,  quo  minime  credas  gurgiite 
piscis  erit." — Art.  Am.  iii,  425. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  47 

XLVI. 
"Let  your  heart  be  in  your  study." — Tal. 

Cicero  quotes  a  Greek  proverb  expressing  the 
same  thought:  "Apply  your  talent  where  best  you  are 
skilled." 

(:  &  yy)  pan  n^  Dipoo  t6x  mm  10^  DIN  fx 

"Quam  quisque  norit  artem  in  hac  re  exerceat." 

— Tus.  i,   18. 


XLVII. 

"No  man  is  'expected  to  admit  that  he  is  wicked." — Tal. 

No  man  is  to  accuse  himself  unless  it  were  before 
God.— L.  Mat. 

(n"a  w)  yen  i»vy  D'tro  DIK  p« 

"Accusare  se  nemo  debet,  nisi  coram  deo." 


XLVIII. 

"You   do   not   cut   your   ringer  unless   it   has   been    so 
decreed  above." — Tal. 

The  idea  is  not  that  it  is  proclaimed  in  Heaven 
that  this  one  or  that  one  shall  cut  his  finger,  but  that 
law  governs  all  things,  and  even  such  a  small  thing 
as  cutting  one's  finger  occurs  according  to  law — being 


48  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

the  effect  of  carelessly  handling  a  thing  with  a  sharp 
edge.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  chance.  The  law 
of  cause  and  effect  operates  everywhere,  and  as  the 
law  has  its  origin  in  the  Deity,  it  may  be  said  philoso- 
phically, that  whatever  happens  has  been  decreed 
above.  "He  who  is  the  builder  and  creator  of  all  has 
written  the  fate  of  all."  —  Seneca. 
or  !>in)  rtota  v^y  roo  a"N 


"Ille    ipse  omnium   conditor   et   rector   scripsit    quidem 
fata."—  De  Prov.  v. 


XLIX. 

"No  man  is  suspected  of  having  done  anything  unless 
he  has  done  it,  or  has  done  some  of  it,  or  had  at 
least  the  thought  of  doing  it." — Tal. 

Malice  is  one  thing,  and  suspicion  is  another. 
The  wiles  of  hatred  do  not  come  under  this  heading. 
Nor  is  here  meant  the  suspicion  which  is  begotten 
by  a  feverish  imagination,  that  arch  blunderer  that 
sees  spectres  climb  the  lamp-post,  and  mocking 
faces  float  in  the  vacant  air. 

But  the  suspicion  conceived  and  kept  up  by  the 
impartial  and  sober-minded  is  not  without  some 
foundation. 

"You  can  fool  some  of  the  people  all  of  the  time, 
and  all  of  the  people  some  of  the  time,  but  you  can- 
not fool  all  of  the  people  all  of  the  time." — Lincoln. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  49 

"No  one  has  ever  deceived  all,  nor  have  all  ever 
deceived  one." — Pliny. 

rwy  "613  rwy  vf?  DKI  IMW  p  DK  K^N  1313  nt?m  DIK  p« 

(:  TV  p"o)  'iDi  invpo 

"Nemo  omnes,  n  em  in  em  omnes  fefellerunt." — Pangyr,  62. 


L. 

"A  man   is  not  accountable  for  what  he   says   or  does 
under  the  influence  of  pain  and  grief." — To/. 

Heine,  perhaps,  thought  of  this  passage  when  he 
ridiculed  the  priests,  who,  in  proof  of  the  indispensi- 
bility  of  religion,  boastfully  cite  the  fact  that  some  of 
the  outspoken  atheists  and  sceptics  have,  in  the  last 
hour  of  their  lives,  expressed  a  desire  for  the  sacra- 
ment. This,  according  to  the  illustrious  humorist, 
argues  against  the  priests  inasmuch  as  it  goes  to 
show  that  as  long  as  those  men  had  their  wits  they 
were  above  such  needs. 

In  the  Talmud,  however,  the  saying  is  used  in  a 
solemn  sense,  in  answer  to  a  serious  question  con- 
cerning the  believer.  Why  is  it,  that  he,  too,  weeps 
and  mourns  over  losses?  Believing  in  Providence 
and  the  noble  destiny  of  man,  is  it  not  rather  incon- 
sistent to  lament  death  which  to  him  is  the  door  to 
his  better  and  real  home? 

The  answer  is,  that  allowance  must  be  made  for 
some  inconsistencies.  Religion  seeks  to  refine  our 


50  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

nature  and  not  to  destroy  it;  to  soften  our  heart  and 
not  to  harden  it;  to  purify  our  earthly  relations  and 
not  to  annul  them.  The  sages  take  the  hint  from 
Holy  Writ.  Job,  in  his  state  of  intense  suffering,  is 
not  free  from  impious  utterances,  and  is  not  charged 
with  heresy  or  blasphemy. 

"What  shame  or  bound  can  there  be  to  our  affec- 
tionate regret  for  so  dear  a  person." — Horace. 

C  TB  3''2)  V1J?¥  JW3  DQJ-U  DIN  fK 
"Quis  desiderio  sit  pudor  out  modus  tarn  cari  capitis." 


LI. 

"No  man  sees  his  own  guilt."  —  Tal. 

We  have  an  excuse  for  every  mistake  we  make, 
and  a  euphonious  name  for  every  vice  we  have.  Thus. 
"the  timid  claims  to  be  cautious,  and  the  miser  frugal." 

—  Lat.  Prov, 


"Timidus  se  vocat  cautum  parcum  sordidus." 


LII. 

"Not  hay,  but  meat  makes  the  lion  roar." — Tal. 

The  criticism  to  which  the  successful  man  is  often 
subjected  to  by  such  as  fail  in  the  emulation  is  in 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  51 

many  instances  unjust.  What  assurance  have  we  thafi 
we  would  act  better  in  his  circumstances?  Unless  we 
belong  to  the  class  of  the  godly,  who  pray  not  for 
riches,  but  for  daily  bread,  we  have  no  right  to  cen- 
sure the  sons  of  a  better  fate.  Acquire  wealth  and 
your  definition  of  charity  and  quality  will  radically 
change. 

"Even  the  most  illustrious  generals  became  in- 
solent in  prosperity." — Tacitus. 
(I1*?  n«~a)  nea  hw  &6x  pn  }v  naip  ^ino  omj  n«  px 

"Rebus   secundis   etiam   egregrios   duces  indolescere." 

Hist,  id,  7. 


Lilt 

"Say  before  the  dead  what  is  creditable  to  the  dead." 

—Tal. 

"Nothing  should  be  said  about  the  dead,  if  not 
good." — Lot.  Prov. 

0  nia-a)  'i3i  no  ^  vnm  N^N  non  ^22  pnoix  ps 

"De  mortuis  nil  nisi  bonum." 


LIV. 

"The  son  of  David  Messiah,  will  come  at  a  time  when 
it  will  be  difficult  to  procure  a  fish  for  a  patient." 

—Tal 

The  belief  was  that  the  Messiah  will  come  when 
the  general  condition  of  things  will  be  very  critical. 


52  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

Can  we  conceive  of  harder  times  than  when  fish  are 
rare?     Plutarch  quotes  the  following   as   a    favorite 
saying  of  Cato:  "It  is  hard  to  preserve  a  city  when  a 
fish  sold  for  more  than  an  ox." 
(n"¥  Truo)  N¥»<1  N^I  rh\rh  n  B>p3n>B>  ny  NU  in  p  p« 

"Difficulter    posse   salvam    esse    urbem    in   qua    majoris 
pisois  quam  bos  venerat. — Plut.   Cato.  Ma. 


LV. 

"The  blessing  is  in  the  thing  which  is  hidden  from  the 
eye." — Tal. 

The  eye  is  not  an  ever  competent  and  safe  guide 
Though  its  services  are  beyond  all  computation,  and 
we  can  ill  afford  to  keep  the  shutters  always  closed 
upon  it,  we  are  bound  to  go  astray  if  we  place  too 
much  confidence  in  this  whimsical  sovereign  of  our 
senses,  which  often  magnifies  and  diminishes  things, 

There  is  no  thing  which  discloses  to  the  eye  or 
any  other  sense,  its  inner  being.  Subtract  from  any 
given  object  its  attributes  or  those  characteristics  by 
which  it  is  known,  and  an  unknowable  something  is 
left  in  which  these  attributes  have  their  origin  and 
sustenance. 

Then  we  have  to  consider  that  everything  has 
a  relation  to  something  else  which  determines  its  real 
value.  We  enjoy  the  present  hour  because  we  hope 
that  there  is  another  one  for  us  in  waiting.  What,  if 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  53 

we  knew  that  this  was  our  last,  the  luminaries  of  the 
lighted  firmament  could  not  comfort  and  calm  us. 

"Our  knowledge,"  says  Buckle,  "is  composed  not 
of  facts,  but  of  relations  which  facts  and  ideas  bear 
to  themselves  and  to  each  other,  and  real  knowledge 
consists  not  of  an  acquaintance  with  facts,  which  only 
make  the  pedant,  but  in  the  relation  of  facts  which 
makes  the  philosopher." 

"Let  the  soul  find  out  the  good  of  the  soul." 

— Seneca. 
(n   myn)  pyn  jo  "loon  -im  vh*  mvo  naian  pK 

"Animi  bonum  animus  inveniat." — De  Vit.  Bea.  ii. 


LVI. 

"A  handful  does  not  satisfy  the  lion."— To/. 

It  is  one  thing  to  deal  with  the  multitude  and 
another,  to  deal  with  an  individual. 

Some  Talmudists  take  the  saying  in  the  sense 
that  the  grasshopper  does  not  satisfy  the  lion,  and  it 
reminds  of  the  Latin  Prov.:  "The  eagle  does  not 
catch  flies." 

('a  rvD-a)  n«n  rm  yyyo  }>»ipn  px 

"Aquila  non  capit  muscas." 


54  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

LVII. 

"The  captive  cannot  accomplish  his  own  release." — Tal, 

In  some  instances  our  helplessness  and  depend- 
ence upon  others  is  more  apparent  than  in  others,  but 
in  reality,  we  are  always  inadequate  to  the  task,  and 
in  need  of  some  support  and  lifting  hand.  Independ- 
ence is  a  shallow  phrase.  The  link  must  be  attached 
to  another  link  to  be  a  part  of  the  chain.  "The  bell 
must  be  pulled,  that  its  sounds  shall  be  heard." 
Thoughts  need  the  wing  of  language. 

Success  is  not  independent.  The  teacher  must 
have  pupils,  the  author  readers,  the  potentate 
subjects. 

Abuzurg-Mihir,  the  Persian  Seneca,  is  said  to 
have  invented  the  play  of  chess,  with  a  view  of  prov- 
ing to  King  Hormuz  how  little  the  ruler  can  do  with- 
out the  assistance  and  protection  of  army  and  people. 

"No  one  is  sufficiently  strong  to  rise  by  himself; 
some  helping  hand  is  always  necessary." — Seneca. 

Cfl  DSJ>)  DniDXn  JT30  lEtfJ?  Tf«0  Bnan  |>N 
"Nemo  per  se  satis  valet  ut  emergat." — Ep.  52. 


LVIII. 

'It  is  in  the  work  of  the  loom  that  woman  is  expected 
to  show  her  wisdom." — Tal. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  55 

So  Rabbi  Elieser  observed,  when  a  woman  em- 
barrassed him  by  raising  the  question,  why  the 
worshippers  of  the  golden  calf  did  not  all  die  the 
same  death,  since  they  committed  the  same  sin.  What 
he  meant  to  say  is  what  Lord  Littleton  expressed 
with  the  help  of  the  muse 

"Seek  to  be  good,  but  aim  not  to  be  great: 
A  woman's  noblet  station  is  Retreat, 
Her  fairest  virtues  fly  from  public  sight, 
Domestic  worth  —  that  shuns  too  strong  a  light." 

Theodorus,  annoyed  by  the  arguments  of  the 
female  philosopher  Hypparchia,  asked:  "Who  is  the 
woman  that  left  the  shuttle  so  near  the  warp?" 

Juvenal  is  too  severe  on  the  literary  woman  when 
he  says:  "I  hate  her  who  is  forever  poring  over  and 
studying  Palaemo's  treatise;  who  never  violates  the 
rules  and  principles  of  grammar,  and,  skilled  in  anti- 
quarian lore,  quotes  verses  I  never  knew,  and  corrects 
the  phrases  of  her  friend  as  old-fashioned  which  mer 
would  never  heed.  A  husband  should  have  the  priv- 
ilege of  committing  some  solecism." 


"Odi  hanc  ego  quae  repetit  volvitque  Palaemonis  artem 
soloecismus  liceat  fecisse  marito."  —  Sat.  vi. 


56  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

LIX. 

"Do  not  attack  a  dead  lion." — Tal. 

The  great  man  is  frequently  called  in  the  Talmud 
Hon.  To  attack  a  great  man  when  he  can  no  longer 
defend  himself,  is  as  cowardly  as  to  wreak  venge- 
ance on  a  dead  lion. 

"That  he  knew  and  was  well  aware  that  nothing 
was  easier  than  to  ascribe  the  blame  of  an  act  to  the 
dead." — Caesar. 

era  pay)  inio  ~\nvb  nun  nx  pyeno  p« 

"Scire  et  intelligere  caussam   peccati  facillime   mortuis 
delegari." — Bel.  Gol.  vii,  26. 


LX. 

"No  monuments  are  erected  unto  the  righteous.     Their 
words  perpetuate  their  memory." — Tal. 

"The  erection  of  a  monument  is  useless:  the 
remembrance  of  us  will  last  if  we  have  deserved  it 
by  our  lives." — Plin.  m. 

("i  <{?\>v}  D'pHV^  nit^DJ  ptiny  p« 

"Impensa   monumenti  supervacua  est;   memoria   nostra 
durabit  si  vita  meruimus." — 'ix,  19. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  57 

LXI. 

"No  one  is  so  poor  as  he  who  has  no  sense."  —  Talmud. 

"There  is  nothing  either  good  or  bad,  but  think- 
ing makes  it  so."  —  Shakespeare. 

"The  mind  is  the  master  of  every  kind  of  fortune: 
itself  acts  in  both  ways,  being  the  cause  of  its  own 
happiness  and  misery."  —  Seneca. 


nyna  N>N  vy  r« 

"Valentior  omni  fortuna  animus  est."  —  Ep.  98. 


LXII. 

"The  habitual  disputant  can  be  no  defender." — Tal. 

"In  excessive  altercation,  truth  is  lost." — Syrus. 
('n'  nia-a)  -nrjo  npyj  -wap  J»K 

"Nimium  altercando  veritas  amittitur." 


LXIII. 

"You  cannot  compare  the  foolishness  which  is  harmful 
to  that  which  is  innocent" — Tal. 

How  we  enjoy  the  foolish  prattling  of  children! 
Thus,  there  is  many  a  joke  which  may  be  appreciated 
by  the  devout  religionist.  Austerity  is  no  virtue  and 


58  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

joviality  no  vice.  But  the  humor  which  misrepre- 
sents principle,  and  sports  with  the  moral  feeling,  is 
like  an  obscene  picture. 

''That  laughter  costs   too  much  which  is  pur- 
chased by  the  sacrifice  of  principle." — Juvenal. 
(typ  rot?)  Nton  13  PNC?  i>3r6  Nan  13  tw  ^3n  n»n  I^N 

"N'imium     risus    pretium     est     si     probitatis     impendio 
constat." — vi,  3. 


LXIV. 

"Do  not  compare  the  man  who  has  a  subsistence  to  the 
one  who  is  without  it." — Tal. 

Our  disposition  and  character  are  in  alliance  with 
the  body.  The  stomach  is  the  autocrat  whose  man- 
dates must  be  attended  to.  Hunger  is  a  despicable 
tyrant,  and  the  care  for  the  next  day's  food  will  en- 
able to  do  many  a  thing  which  under  other  circum- 
stances might  not  be  dreamed  of. 

"The  belly  is  the  teacher  of  art  and  the  bestower 
of  genius." — Persius. 
(Y'y  NOV)  1^03  na  if>  PNG?  ^  1^03  ns  i$>  GW  ^  non  I^N 

"Magister  artium  ingeniique  Jargitor  venter." — Prologue. 


LXV. 

"There  is  a  difference  between  learning  one's  lesson  a 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  59 

hundred  times  and   learning  it  a   hundred  and  one 
times." — Tal. 

Study  makes  the  scholar,  and  if  we  desire  to 
master  a  branch  of  knowledge  it  is  not  enough  to 
resort  to  it  occasionally,  but  we  have  to  build  our 
nest  in  it,  and  make  it  our  home. 

There  are  precepts  in  our  religion  which  cannot 
be  sufficiently  repeated  because  they  are  the  beacon 
lights  on  our  path.  If  one  said:  "I  know  them  there- 
fore I  can  do  without  their  recital,  it  was  regarded  by 
the  Talmudic  sages  as  an  unmistaken  sign  of  the  de- 
crease of  his  religious  fervor.  Our  old  ritual  contains 
not  only  the  forcible  expression  of  daily  supplication 
and  thanksgiving,  but  the  essence  of  the  theology  and 
doctrinal  portion  of  Judaism.  How  dear  It  was  to 
our  fathers !  Every  day  it  had  the  interest  and  novelty 
of  a  new  revelation. 

"That  never  is  too  often  said  which  cannot  be 
sufficiently  learned."— Scucca. 

'nya  nxn  ipis  ny\vb  n^oya  nx»  ip-ia  rwt?  n»n  irs 

CD  reran) 

"Nunquam  nimis  dicitur  quod  nunquam  satis  discitur." 


LXVI. 

"A  stater   (small   coin)   is  in   the  vase,  what  a  noise  it 
makes." — Tal. 

Among  shallow  surroundings  it  is  an  easy  matter 


60  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

to  be  noticeable.  Among  weaklings  a  man  with  little 
strength  is  feared  as  an  athlete.  Among  beggars  one 
having  something  in  his  purse  is  envied  for  his  wealth. 
Among  the  utterly  uninstructed  a.  man  having  the 
ability  to  read  and  write  is  admired  for  his  scholarship. 
Then  again,  our  saying  may  be  taken  in  the  sense 
of  the  Latin  proverb:  "Empty  vessels  give  out  the 
loudest  sound." 


Vasa  vacua  plurimum  sonant." 


LXVII. 
"Woman  spins  while  she  speaks." — Tal. 

Literally,  it  means  that  she  is  loquacious.  Figur- 
atively, it  implies  that  there  is  method  in  her  talk- 
ativeness. She  aims  at  something. 

"It  is  easy  for  you  women  to  counterfeit  your 
words  and  your  actions." — Propertius. 

(Y"1  n^o)  ND^Q  xnit?  nra  xnn-'K 

"Sed  vobis  facile  est  verba  et  eomponere  fraudes." — ii,  5. 


LXVIII. 

"Thy  wife  is  short,  bow  down  and  consult  her." — Tal. 

How  do  you  like  that  sentiment,  my  dear  female 
reader?     Believe  it,  tftnat  the  Talmudic  sages  had  the 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  61 

highest  regard  for  your  sex.  Consider  the  following 
Talmudic  expression:  "He  who  lives  without  a  wife 
lives  without  joy,  without  light,  without  peace." 
Again:  "He  who  has  no  wife  is  no  complete  man." 
And  again:  "A  husband  should  love  his  wife  like 
himself,  and  honor  her  more  than  himself."  And 
again:  "Let  every  husband  be  solicitous  about  the 
honor  of  his  wife,  for  it  is  through  her  that  a  house- 
hold is  blessed." 

Plutarch  quotes  Cato  to  have  said:  "Men  gener- 
ally govern  women,  but  we  command  all  men,  and 
women  command  us." 

(si  o"3)  rh  nr6rn  pro  KVIJ  inrvt* 

"Omnes    homines    mulierebus    imperamt    nos    omnibus 
hominibus,  nobis  mulieres." — Cat.   Ma. 


LXIX. 

"The  wife  of  Korah,  said  to  her  husband:  'Behold  what 
Moses  is  doing!  He  is  king.  His  brother  he  made 
high  priest,  the  sons  of  his  brother  he  made 
priests.' " 

"There  are  few  disputes  in  life  which  do   not 
originate  with  a  woman." — Juvenal. 

0"p  p-nruD)  nw  Tayp  »wo  nn  ^"K  mpn  rrnrvN 

"Nulla  fere  causa  est  in  qua  non  foemina  litem  moverit." 

— Sat.   iv. 


62  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

LXX. 

"To  eat  vegetables  with  a  tr'anquil  mind  is  preferable  to 
eating  poultry  and  have  palpitation  of  heart  in  con- 
sequence thereof." — Tal. 

The  Midrash  tells  of  a  fox  who  fasted  three  days 
in  order  to  enter  an  orchard  through  a  small  open- 
ing of  the  fence.  Having  banquetted  therein  for 
three  days  he  became  so  fat  that  he  could  not  make  his 
exit  through  the  same  loop-hole.  Remembering, 
that  he  will  be  severely  punished  if  discovered,  he 
fasted  again  three  days  to  make  his  escape  possible 

"Now   learn    what,   and   how    great    benefits    a 
temperate  diet  will  bring  with  it." — Hor. 
CTp  DTIDS)  i>¥l  3C>1  *?"*!  ^DK 
"Quae  virtus  et  quanta  boni   sit   vivere   parvo   di.scite." 


LXXI. 

"Let  no  one  distribute  more  than  one-fifth  of  his  income 
among  the  poor,  that  he  should  niot  become  an 
object  of  charity  himself." 

According  to  a  tradition,  Moses  introduced  the 
system  of  tithes,  not  only  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor, 
but  the  protecfion  of  the  rich.  When  he  enunciated 
to  the  children  of  Israel  the  divine  lesson  of  brotherly 
love,  it  kindled  in  them  an  enthusiasm  which  caused 
many  of  them  to  give  away  all  they  had.  He  saw 
the  danger  which  such  an  utter  disregard  for  self 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  63 

brings  with  it,  and  counteracted  it.  "It  is  enough  if 
one  gives  the  tenth  part  of  his  income."  But  to  spend 
more  than  one-fifth  of  his  income  is  to  wrong  one- 
self. 

"Our  purse  should  neither  be  so  closed  that  our 
generosity  cannot  open  it,  nor  so  unfastened  that  it 
lies  open  to  all,  a  bound  should  be  set  and  bear 
reference  to  our  means." — Cicero. 

CJ  nninD)  traino  inv  DIN  DTT  ^ 

"Nee  ita  claudenda  res  est  familiaris  ut  team  benignkas 
aperire  non  possit,   nee  ita  reseranda,   tut  pateait  omnibus." 

— De  off.  ii,  15. 


LXXII. 

"Do  not  trust  thyself  until  the  day  of  death." — Tal. 

Epaminondas  being  asked  which  of  the  three  he 
held  in  greatest  esteem,  Chabrias,  Iphicrates  or  him- 
self. "You  must  see  us  die  before  that  question  can 
be  settled,"  was  his  reply. 

Solon,  too  said,  being  asked  by  Croesus  to  pro- 
nounce him   the   happiest   man:   "No    one   is   to   be 
regarded  happy  before  his  death." — Ovid. 
C3  nnx)  into  DV  ny  ~p\'jD  r»xn  hx 

"Dicique  beatus  ante  obitum  nemo." — Met. 


64  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

LXXIII. 

"Do    not    live   in   a   city  the   governors    of   which   are 
philosophers." — Tal. 

Frederick  the  Great  is  reported  to  have  said: 
"If  I  wanted  to  ruin  one  of  my  provinces,  I  would 
make  over  its  government  to  the  philosophers." 
— Buckl. 

"The  state  of  philosophers  is  such  as  the  learned 
man  imagine  but  cannot  be  established." — Lev. 
0"'p  TIDS)  D'eon  'Ti^n  iTK>&oe>  vjn  inn  ^N 

"Sapientiuim    civitas,    quam    docti    fingunt    magis    quam 
norunt." — xxvi,  22. 


LXXIV. 

"Despise  no  man  and  disparage  no  thing,  for  there  is 
<no  man  who  has  not  his  hour,  and  no  thing  which 
has  not  its  place." 

We  do  not  know  ourselves,  how  can  we  sit  in 
judgment  over  others?  The  man  whom  we  condemn 
for  his  misdemeanor,  may  in  the  next  hour  rise 
superior  to  us.  "The  breadth  of  two  fingers  only 
separates  the  abode  of  the  faithful  from  the  place  of 
the  wicked." 

Socially,  too,  that  despised  man  may  live  to  see 
a  change  for  the  better.  We  landed  in  this  world 
with  less  than  the  poorest  man  has.  We  did  not  bring 
even  a  rag  with  us.  His  turn  will  be  yet.  He  may 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  65 

become  our  benefactor,  our  biographer,  the  sculptor 
of  our  monument,  or  the  digger  of  our  grave. 

Things,  too,  have  their  great  possibilities.  The 
diamond  which  glitters  on  the  bosom  of  our  love  was 
originally  a  vegetable.  The  mountain  which  lifts  up 
its  proud  summit  as  if  in  support  of  the  firmament, 
may  be  the  growth  and  outcome  of  a  little  stone 
which  a  playful  lad  threw  to  catch  a  bird. 

What  is  more  insignificant  than  the  death  of  an 
animal!  No  priest  chants  mass,  no  Rabbi  recites  the 
Kadish,  and  no  relative  sheds  a  tear.  Yet,  it  is  with 
bones  of  extinct  species  that  long  established  creeds 
are  being  stormed. 

Ye  gods  of  Egypt!  You  are  avenged.  Your 
rotten  bones  have  become  a  menace  to  the  theology 
that  demolished  your  temples. 

The  mastadon  rises  and  altars  tremble;  a  petri- 
fied butterfly  is  unearthed  and  there  is  joy  among 
scientists,  and  consternation  in  the  camp  of 
orthodoxy. 

"There  are  more  things  in  Heaven  and  Earth, 
Horatio,  than  are  dreamed  of  in  our  philosophy." 


66  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"It  would  be  quite  advantageous  to  examine 
those  things  which  appear  trifles  at  first  sight,  but  out 
of  which  develop  great  events."  —  Tacitus. 


("i  nnN)  in        JDE  '?in  w  DIN        n  <nn   N 

"Non  sine  usu  fuerit  introspicere  ilia  primo  aspectu  levia, 
ex  quibus  magnarum  saepe  rerum  motus  oriuntur." 

—An.  iv,  32. 


LXXV. 

"Let  the   curse  of  an  ordinary  person   not  be  light  in 
thine  eyes."  —  Tal. 

"Nothing  is  so  strong,  but  may  be  endangered, 
even  by  the  weakest."  —  Quint.  Cur. 


(Y'v  p"a)  T^JO  rp  cvnn 

"Nihil    tarn    firmum,    cui    periculum    non    sit    etiam    ab 
invalido."  —  vii,  8. 


LXXVI. 

"Do  not  attempt  to  console  your  woe-stricken  friend 
while  the  dead  is  still  before  him." — Tal. 

"As  a  fresh  wound  shrinks  from  the  hand  of  the 
surgeon,  then  gradually  submits  to  it  and  even  calls 
for  it;  so  the  mind  under  the  first  impression  of  mis- 


'    ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  67 

fortune  shuns  and  rejects  all  comfort,  but  at  length 
if  touched  with  tenderness,  calmly  and  willingly 
resigns."  —  Pliny  Minor. 


Cn  rvQK)  VJE       iD  mot?  wa  innrun   K 

"Ut    enim    crudum    adhuc    vulnus    medentium    manus 
reformidat,     deinde     patitur,     atque     ultro     requirit     etc." 

—Hist,  v,  16. 


LXXVII. 

"Do  not  maim  yourself." 

A  sensible  person  will  not  cut  off  his  nose  or  any 
part  of  his  body.  Hence,  the  saying  cannot  be  taken 
literally.  Nor  does  it  refer  to  moral  disfigurement. 
Plainer  language  would  have  been  used  in  that  case. 
It  is  an  advice,  according  to  the  Talmud,  given  by  a 
father  to  his  son,  not  to  weaken  his  position  in  busi- 
ness. For  instance,  if  one  goes  in  partnership  with 
three  persons,  he  will  have  to  sacrifice  his  interest  to 
their  interest  for  fear  they  might  conspire  against 
him,  one  of  them  will  appear  as  his  accuser  and  the 
other  two  as  witnesses  against  him- 

Emerson,  however,  might  take  our  saying  to 
mean  what  he  expressed  in  the  following  words: 
"Why  should  we  make  it  a  point  with  our  modesty  to 
disparage  that  man  we  are,  and  that  form  of  being 
assigned  to  us?  A  good  man  is  contented." 


68  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

Yet  to  Martian's,  we  would  have  to  give  the  credit 
of  originality  in  this  point.  For  he  said  long  before 
Emerson:  "Be  satisfied  with  what  you  are,  and 
have  no  desire  to  be  anything  else." 

(a"^p  D^noB)  -jovya  DIO  vyn  ^ 

"Quod  sis,  esse  velis,  nihilque  malis." — x,  47. 


LXXVIII. 

"Do  not  worry  over  the  possible  mishaps  of  to-morrow, 
for  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth." 

—Tal. 

"Such,"  says  Montaign,  "as  accuse  mankind  of 
the  folly  of  gaping  and  panting  after  future  things,  and 
advise  us  to  make  our  'benefits  of  those  which  are 
present,  and  to  set  up  and  rest  upon  them  as  having 
too  short  a  reach  to  lay  hold  upon  that  which  is  to 
come  —  have  hit  upon  the  most  universal  of  human 
errors.  For  we  are  never  present  with,  but  always 
beyond  ourselves.  Fear,  desire  and  hope  are  still 
pushing  us  on  towards  the  future,  depriving  us  in  the 
meantime  of  the  sum  and  consideration  of  that  which 
is  to  amuse  us,  with  the  thought  of  what  shall  be, 
even  when  we  are  no  more." 

"Do  not  seek  to  know  what  will  happen  to- 
morrow." —  Hor. 

nno  N»P  DV  i^v  TO  jnn  vb  ^  tno  rm  nvn  ^>N 


"Quid  sit  futurum  eras  fuge  quaerere."  —  i,  9. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  69 

LXXIX. 

"Do   not  sit,   do  not   stand,   do   not   walk   excessively." 

—Tal 

"There  is  a  mean  in  all  things." — Hor. 
(K'"1?  'svw)  n3»B"3  nmn  *?x 

"Est  modus  in  rebus." — Sat.  i,  I. 


LXXX. 


"Do  not  seek  to  reconcile  your  friend  while  he  is  in  a 
state  of  anger." — Tal. 

"Anger  is  a  passing  madness." — Hor. 
Cn  rvoK)  IDJD  nyt?3  Tnn  n«  rmn  ta 

"Ira  furor  brevis  est." — Ep.  i,  2. 


LXXXI. 

"Do  not  engage  in  scholarly  discussion  on  the  road." 

—Tal. 

You  might  lose  your  way.  Thales  was  looking 
up  to  the  stars  while  walking  along  a  river,  and  fell 
into  it.  Satire  observed:  "Had  Thaks  looked  into  the 
river,  he  could  have  seen  the  stars." 


yo  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"No  one  sees  what  is  before  him.     They  scru- 
tinize the  starry  region."  —  Cicero. 


('"  myn)  mn  nm  ipoynn  >x 

"Qod     est    ante     pedes    nemo     spectat,     coeli    plagas 
scrutantur."  —  Divin.  ii,  13. 


LXXXII. 

"These  as  well  as  these  are  wards  spoken  in  the 
religious  spirit,  yet  those  of  the  school  of  Hillel 
shall  prevail." — To/. 

Hillel  and  Shamai  were  contemporaneous 
teachers  of  great  renown  in  Israel.  Their  names 
are  closely  united  like  those  of  Shmayah  and 
Abtalion.  Yet  in  disposition  and  method  they  were 
no  more  like  one  another  than  Democritus  and 
Heraclitus. 

Hillel  was  cheerful  and  patient;  Shamai  austere 
and  irritable.  The  people  whom  Shamai  drove  away 
were  cordially  received  by  Hillel.  Hillel  enjoyed  the 
present  making  at  the  same  time  provision  for  the 
future ;  Shamai  sacrificed  the  present  to  the  future. 

Their  teachings  exhibited  the  same  differences. 
Those  of  Hillel  were  liberal,  progressive  and  in  touch 
with  the  conditions  of  the  times.  Those  of  Shamai 
were  rigorous  and  restrictively  uncompromising. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  71 

Both  founded  schools  which  vied  with  one  an- 
other in  carrying  out  the  instruction,  upholding  the 
method  and  absorbing  the  spirit  and  individuality  of 
their  respective  masters. 

For  several  years  the  Beth  Hillel  and  Beth 
Shamai,  (so  those  schools  were  called),  had  disputed 
about  a  question,  when  a  voice  from  above,  (Bath  Kol) 
proclaimed  that  the  arguments  of  both  schools  were 
equally  pleasing  and  acceptable,  yet  the  decision  is  in 
favor  of  the  school  of  Hillel. 

The  Talmud  properly  asks:  "Why  has  it  been 
decided  in  favor  of  the  school  of  Hillel,  since  the 
school  of  Shamai  did  equally  as  well?"  And  the 
answer  is:  "Because  the  school  of  Hillel  was  patient, 
submissive  and  honored  its  opponent,  the  school  of 
Shamai." 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  there  should  be  con- 
troversy. Those  who  rejoice  in  the  existence  of 
difference  of  opinion  ignore  the  fact  that  we  are  not 
all  philosophically  built.  The  remark  which  Male- 
branche  made:  "If  I  held  truth  captive  in  my  hand,  I 
should  open  my  hand  and  let  it  fly,  in  order  that  I 
might  pursue  and  capture  it,"  is  at  best  a  pretty 
extemporization.  Malebranche,  perhaps,  could 
capture  truth,  could  "let  it  fly"  and  capture  it  again. 
But  we  simpletons  do  not  understand  that  kind  of 
game. 

Controversy  is  always  more  or  less  mischievous. 
The  storm  which  purifies  the  air  and  assists  growth 


72  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

works  destruction  at  the  saime  time.  So  controversy. 
While  it  promotes  the  interest  of  truth,  creates  doubt 
somewhere,  and  while  it  seeks  to  establish  certainty, 
proves  that  there  is  no  certainty. 

But  since  there  is  no  other  method  for  the  exten- 
sion of  the  government  of  truth,  the  manner  in  which 
the  school  of  Hillel  disputed  is  worthy  of  consider- 
ation and  emulation. 

"Yield  to  thy  opponent,  by  yielding,  thou  shalt 
come  out  victor."  —  Ovid. 


"Cedo  repugnanti;  cedendo  victor  abibis."  —  Art.  Am.  ii. 


LXXXIII. 

"If  it  is  truth,  why  then  should  it  be  called  parable?" 

The  object  of  the  parable  is  to  bring  truth  nearer 
home. 

"Art  is  the  agency  of  the  inexpressible." — Schiller. 

Our  higher  mental  efforts  are  in  the  service  of 
the  majesty  of  truth.  We  flatter  fiction  if  we  take 
it  for  truth,  but  there  is  no  grosser  insult  than  when 
we  let  truth  pass  for  fiction. 

Truth  is  self-supporting;  when  established,  it 
takes  care  of  itself.  Mathematical  truth,  for  instance, 
is  not  in  need  of  the  lordly  hexameter  of  a  Homer 
for  its  immortalization. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  73 

"A  good  understanding  and  right  sense  can  well 
dispense  with  the  flowers  of  art."  —  Goethe. 

"I  lay  aside  both,  verses  and  all  other  sportive 
matter;  my  study  and  inquiry  is  often  what  is  true 
and  fitting."  —  Horace. 


"Nunc  itaque  et  versus  et  cetera  ludicraoono,quidverum 
atque  decens  euro  et  rogo."  —  Ep.  i. 


LXXXIV. 

''If  I  am  here  all  are;  if  I  am  not  here,  \vh.)  is?" — TaL 

No  person  is  irreplaceable  to  the  extent  that 
things  should  come  to  a  stand-still  without  him. 
Parents  breath  their  last,  and  their  children  continue 
to  live  and  prosped-  Great  leaders  pass  away,  and 
are  quickly  succeeded  by  others.  The  world  moves 
on  no  matter  who  steps  out  of  it.  Perhaps  there  are 
such  as  think  that  Atlas-like  they  carry  our  globe, 
and  if  they  go  down  it  must  go  with  them.  Hillel, 
the  author  of  our  saying,  certainly  did  not  belong  to 
that  class. 

What  he  meant  to  say  is,  that  if  good  was  to  be 
done,  and  he  could  do  it,  he  did  not  acquiesce  in  the 
supposition  that  it  will  be  done  by  others,  but  did  it 
himself  on  the  principle  that  if  he  did  not  perform  his 
function  properly,  he  had  no  right  to  expect  others 
to  be  more  anxious  to  do  their  duty. 


74  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"The  people  expect  of  those  greater  than  they, 
greater  things."- — Seneca. 

(y^  naio)  |so  T>  jto  'j«  PN  OKI  1x2  fen  fan  'JK  DN 

"Majora  populus  semper  a  summo  exigit." — Oct. 


LXXXV. 

"If  you  desire  to  strangle,  let  it  be  on  a  high  tree." — Tal. 

Rashi  takes  it  in  the  sense, if  you  would  overcome 
your  opponent  in  argument  cite  a  great  authority. 
Indeed,  we  find  in  the  Talmud  that  Hillel  put  an  end 
to  a  very  heated  debate  when  he  said:  "I  heard  it  from 
Shemayah  and  Abtalion." 

Quotation  is  ,both  the  jewelry  and  weapon  of 
composition.  It  is  a  sign  of  respect  for  the  work 
and  opinion  of  others,  elevation  of  authority  by 
which  the  quoter,  too,  is  raised. 

"It  is  generally  supposed,"  says  Disraeli,  "that 
where  there  is  no  quotation,  there  will  be  found 
most  originality  .  . .  The  greater  part  of  our  writers 
in  consquence,  have  become  so  original,  that  no  one 
cares  to  imitate  them;  and  those  who  never  quote  are 
in  return  never -quoted." 

Another  reading  of  the  saying  is:  "If  you 
desire  to  be  strangled  hang  yourself  on  a  large  tree." 
This  version  may  be  taken  in  the  sense, if  you  have  !o 
ignore  your  own  opinion  and  to  act  according  to 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  75 

that  of  another  one  let  it  be  according  to  the  opinion 
of  a  great  and  acknowledged  authority. 

It  might  also  be  understood  to  mean,if  you  have 
a  particular  wish  to  be  vanquished  in  argument,  begin 
one  with  a  great  man.  But  Rabbi  Akiba,  the  father 
of  the  saying,  would  not  be  guilty  of  such  a  sarcasm. 

The  Romans  had  a  proverb: 

"Do  not  take  a  blind  guide  or  a  weak  adviser." 
d"'p  DsnDD)  ^vw  £'K:I  n^nn  pjrr6  n^pn  DN 

"Neque   caecum   ducem   neque   amentesn  consultorem." 


LXXXVI. 

"Though  them  art  a  high  state  official,  remember  that 
thy  pedigree  is  well-known  here." — Tal. 

"Though  thou  art  proud  of  thy  wealth,  thou  art 
the  man  thou  hast  -been,  fortune  does  not  change 
birth." — Horace. 

('1  3"2)  |K3  "pSD  "f?y  -p"T  DN 

"Licet    superbus    ambules   pecunia,    fortuna   non    mutat 
genus." — Od.    v,  4. 


LXXXVII. 

"If  it  is  as  clear  as  morning,  say  it" — Tal. 

"If  the  good,"  says  the  friar  in  Nathan  the  Wise, 
"that  I  propose  to  do  is  somewhat  twined  with  mis- 
chief, then  I  let  the  good  alone." 


76  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"Those  direct  us  properly  who  advise  us  not  to 
do  anything  which  we  doubt  whether  it  is  right  or 
wrong." — Cicero. 

Cr  "iruD)  imosn  !>x  156  DNI  imox  npaa  -iTin  •$  -ira  CN 

''Quocirca  bene  praecipiunt,  qui  vetant  quicquam  agere, 
quod  dubites,  aequum  sit  an  iniquum." — De  off.  i,  9. 


LXXXVIII. 

"If  one  says:  "I  have  exerted  myself  and  yet  accom- 
plished nothing,"  do  not  believe  him;  "I  have  taken 
no  pains  and  yet  I  reached  the  object,"  do  not  bej 
lieve;  "I  have  worked  and  succeeded,"  believe  him. 

—Tal. 

Hillel  was  altogether  without  the  means  of  a  sub- 
sistence when  he  came  from  Babylon  to  Jerusalem,  to 
quench  his  burning  thirst  for  knowledge.  During  the 
day  he  chopped  wood  for  a  living,  and  studied  in  the 
evening  at  the  school  of  Shemayah  and  Abtalion, 
where  he  divided  with  the  porter  of  the  same  his 
scanty  earnings  in  order  to  obtain  admission.  Once, 
it  happened  that  he  was  not  able  to  gratify  the  porter, 
and  could  not  or  would  not  seek  free  admission- 
But  in  order  not  to  loose  the  benefit  of  the  lecture, 
he  climbed  to  the  window-sill  of  the  school  and 
listened  -there. 

About  Rabbi  Akiba  the  Talmud  tells  us  that 
every  day  during  his  period  of  learning,  he  was  in  the 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  77 

habit  of  cutting  bundles  of  straw,  half  of  which  he 
would  sell  for  his  needs  and  the  other  half  use  for 
light.  His  neighbors  were  not  at  all  pleased  with 
'his  manner,  and  said:  "Akiba,  the  smoke  greatly 
annoys  us.  Sell  us  the  straw  and  buy  oil."  But 
Rabbi  Akiba  answered:  "The  straw  serves  me  in 
three  ways,  I  study  by  its  light,  warm  myself  by  its 
fire  and  make  my  bed  on  it  at  night." 

Moses  Mendelson  became  deformed  as  a  boy, 
in  consequence  of  the  persistent  studies  he  made  of 
the  philosophical  writings  of  Maimonides.  When 
pursuing  a  course  of  studies  in  Berlin,  he  lived  for  a 
while  on  bread,  and  that,  too,  he  used  sparingly.  In 
order  not  to  overeat  himself  at  one  meal  and  then  be 
left  without  food,  he  made  cuts  in  the  loaf  of  bread 
by  which  he  knew  how  many  meals  he  could  make  of 
it  and  how  far  he  could  go  at  each  meal. 

Cleanthes  was  so  poor,  that  "he  was  forced  to 
undertake  mercenary  employments,  and  he  used  to 
draw  water  in  the  gardens  at  night,  and  by  day  he 
exercised  himself  in  philosophical  discussions;  on 
which  account  he  was  called  Phrenaulles.  They  also 
say  that  he  was  on  one  occasion  brought  before  a 
court  of  police  to  be  compelled  to  give  an  account  of 
what  his  sources  of  income  were;  and  that  then  he 
was  acquitted,  having  produced  as  his  witness  the 
gardener,  in  whose  garden  he  drew  the  water,  and  a 
woman  who  was  a  meal-seller  in  whose  establishment 
he  used  to  prepare  the  meal." — Yonge's  Diog-.  Leart. 


78  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"The  heights  by  great  men  reached  and  kept, 

Were  not  attained  by  sudden  flight; 

But  they,  while  their  companions  slept, 

Were  toiling  upward  in  the  night." — Longfellow. 

"Labor  overcomes  all  things." — Virgil. 

(1  n^JO)  "31   PDW1   $>N   TIKXD  N^  'J1W  DIN  "^  "ION11  DN 
"Labor  omnia  vincit." — G.  i. 


LXXXIX. 

"If  the  young  tell  you  to  build  and  the  old  tell  you  to 
destroy,  listen  to  the  latter;  for  the  building  of  youth 
is  destruction  and  the  destruction  of  the  old  is 
building." — Tal. 

That  is  the  young  build  in  order  to  destroy,  and 
the  old  destroy  in  order  to  build. 

"Rashness,  beyond  a  doubt,  belongs  to  life  when 
in  its  bloom,  wisdom  to  it  in  old  age." — Cicero. 

yopn  $>Ni  D'jp£  y»p  lino  D'3pn  run  DH^  if?  nDx*1  ex 

CD  D'VU)  DH^ 

"Temeritas    est    videlicet    ftorentis    aetatis,     prudentia 
senescentis." — De  Sen.  5. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  79 

xc. 

"If  them  hast  the  means,  enjoy  thyself,  for  there  is  no 
pleasure  in  the  grave,  and  no  postponement  of  death 
.  .  .  Human  beings  are  like  the  gras-s  of  the  field, 
while  some  flourish,  others  wither." — Tal. 

The  enjoyment  'alluded  to  is  that  kind  which  the 
noble  consciousness  of  an  upright  and  good  life 
affords. 

Seneca  has  a  similar  thought:  "Few  have  the 
pleasures  of  safe  repose  who  bear  in  mind  how  swiftly 
never  returning  time  passes.  While  the  fates  allow, 
enjoy  yourselves  and  be  merry." 

(Y'j  pniTy)  '21 1^  ntrn  -j$>  v»  DN 

"N'ovh   paucos   secura   quies  .  .  .  Dum  fata  sinunt  vivite 
laeti." — Her.  Fur. 


XCI. 

"If  you  will  work  for  the  earth  like  a  slave  you  will  have 
plenty,  ignore  her  claim,  and  you  will  not  have 
enough  bread." — Tal. 

So  Seneca:  "If  you  live  according  to  nature  you 
will  never  be  poor,  if  according  to  the  opinion  of 
others,  you  will  never  be  rich." 


8o  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

(n"j  piroD)  nr6  JOB*  rmnvb  naya  i»vy  DIK  neny  DK 

"Si    ad    naturam    vivas,    nunquam    eris     pauper,    si     ad 
opinionem,  nunquam  eris  dives." — Ep.  16. 


XCII. 

"If  an  ignorant  person  is  extremely  pious,  do  not  live 
in  his  neighborhood." — Tal. 

The  ignorant  person  (am  aretz),  referred  to  in  the 
Talmud,  scorned  knowledge  and  despised  authority. 
He  was  more  embittered  against  the  Jewish  scholar 
than  was  the  heathen  against  the  Jew.  Rabbi  Akiba, 
who  began  to  study  at  an  advanced  age  frankly  admits 
that  at  the  time  he  was  ignorant  (am  aretz)  he  had 
such  an  animosity  against  the  learned  classes  that 
many  a  time  he  wished  he  could  get  hold  of  a  scholar 
and  break  his  bones.  The  more  airs  of  piety  those 
lovers  of  ignorance  put  on  the  more  intolerable  they 
were. 

"Nothing  is   more   disagreeable    than    a    man 
of  mean  origin  raised  into  power." — Clodian. 
(B"D  D'riD2)  inflate  inn  ^K  Ton  Kin  psn  ay  DN 

"Asperius   nihil   est  humili,    cum    surgit   in   ahum." — In 
Eutrop.  I. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  81 

XCIII. 

"If  our  ancestors  were  like  angels,  we  are  only  like 
human  beings;  if  our  ancestors  were  like  human 
beings,  we  are  like  donkies." — Tal. 

Diction  is  one  thing  and  thought  another.  The 
idea  may  be  transcendent,  and  the  expression  com- 
monplace. The  word  may  be  high  sounding,  and  the 
thought  objectionable.  It  does  not  follow  that, 
because  tfie  cup  is  golden,  the  liquid  therein  is 
acceptable, nor  is  the  refreshing  drink  less  so,  because 
the  pitcher  is  not  of  exquisite  make. 

The  wording  of  the  above  apophthegm  is  not 
free  from  extravagence  but  the  idea  it  expresses, 
which  is,  that  we  are  greatly  inferior  to  our  ancestors, 
commands  respect. 

Israel  always  believed  that  in  the  past  was  the 
refulgent  east  and  window  of  divine  revelation,  and 
glorified  the  lives  of  his  ancestors  as  patterns  and 
their  words  as  oracles.  If  King  Solomon  exhorts  us 
not  to  say  that  the  former  ages  were  better,  he  does 
not  mean  to  weaken  and  abrogate  the  authority  of 
the  inspired  teachers  of  ages  gone  by.  It  was  tradi- 
tion that  lent  force  to  his  sceptre.  King  Solomon 
contends  against  palliating  religious  relaxation  by  the 
groundless  assertion  that  in  former  times  circum- 
stances were  more  favorable  to  high  religious 
pursuits. 

Many  of  us  to-day  are  wont  to  look  back  to 


82  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

antiquity  with  the  smile  and  exaltation  of  a  pros- 
perous man  looking  back  to  the  child  that  he  once 
was.  Is  it  really  so  sure  a  thing  that  knowledge 
increases  and  the  human  mind  becomes  stronger  in 
proportion  to  the  succession  of  generations?  History 
does  not  show  it-  It  does  not  exemplify  such  a 
constant  process  of  higher  development  of  the 
intellect;  such  a  continuous  improvement  and  perfect- 
ing of  man. 

There  is  no  such  a  period  as  the  childhood  of  the 
human  race  in  history.  It  begins  with  existing 
organizations,  with  the  admirable  work  of  men  of 
amazing  mental  power.  History  is  biography — 
fragmentary  biography.  The  history  of  a  nation  is 
the  narrative  of  the  signal  virtues  and  vices,  victories 
and  defeats  of  its  rulers  and  leaders.  The  history  of 
the  human  race  is  the  record  of  the  struggles  and 
creations  of  comparatively  few  men  who  instructed 
and  awakened  the  masses  and  impressed  their  own 
image  upon  them.  A  comparison  between  the  mind 
of  to-day  and  that  of  ages  gone  by,  does  not  justify 
that  pride  and  self-aggrandizement  of  which  we  have 
an  abundant  supply.  We  are  still  under  the  sway  and 
influence  of  antiquity. 

Religion  is  an  old  institution.  Our  ethics  are  the 
amaranths  of  antiquity.  Our  governments,  the  best 
and  noblest,  are  either  continuations  or  reproductions 
of  old  principles.  The  poetry  of  to-day  is  imitation, 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  83 

the  philosophy  repetition,  the  theatres  and  museums 
are  copies. 

Our  whole  civilization  must  be  attributed  to  the 
genius  of  two  peoples,  the  old  Jews  and  the  Greeks. 
Other  nations  of  antiquity  have  contributed  their 
share,  but  those  two  peoples  have  bequeathed  the 
most  wonderful  legacies. 

There  is  a  difference  in  the  kind  of  work  they 
have  done  and  in  the  ideas  which  led  them  to  it.  The 
Jews  had  a  firm  religious  conviction,  the  Greeks 
lacked  a  criterion-  The  Jews  had  the  rule  of  life,  the 
Greeks  were  in  search  of  such  a  rule.  The  Jews  spirit- 
ualized the  material;  the  Greeks  materialized  the 
spiritual.  The  aim  of  the  Jew  was  holiness,  the  aim 
of  the  Greek  was  the  beautiful.  Hence,  the  one 
raised  a  saintly  life  above  all  attainments,  while  the 
other  ran  into  extasy  over  a  pleasing  poem,  a  sharp 
syllogism,  a  beautiful  statue  and  an  heroic  perform- 
ance in  the  battlefield.  Heine  contrasts  the  two 
peoples  with  prophectic  force  when  he  says:  "I  see 
now,  that  the  Greeks  were  beautiful  youths,  while  the 
Jews  impress  me  as  "having  been  men  mature  and 
strong,  fearless  and  invincible." 

Yet  it  is  very  difficult  to  duly  estimate  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Greeks  and  to  tell  exactly  where  it  ceases. 
A  man  of  no  less  acumen  than  Schlegel  deemed  it 
proper  to  say:  "The  Greeks  are  the  second  chosen 
people  of  God." 

But  can  we  think  of  Jews  and  Greeks  without 


84  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

thinking  of  Moses  and  Homer?  Moses  is  not  only 
the  proem,  the  incipiency  of  the  brilliant  career  of  his 
people,  but  the  holy  ark  which  moves  with  them, 
giving  them  direction  and  inspiration.  His  spirit 
breathes  in  our  immortal  prophecies,  those  fearless 
admonitions,  stirring  exhortations,  piercing  com- 
plaints, soothing  consolatories,  and  fiery  religions 
discourses  Which  are  the  majestic  utterances  of  the 
divine  in  man.  His  wisdom  enables  the  Talmudic 
sages  to  open  a  realm  where  the  sky  is  radiant  with 
certainty,  the  air  balmy  with  faith  and  the  soil  blos- 
soming with  hope.  His  genius  endows  Israel  with 
that  valor  of  endurance  which  has  rendered  our 
history  unique  and  unparalleled. 

The  words  in  the  Bible :  "And  no  man  knows  his 
(Moses)  grave"  has  a  deeper  meaning  than  the  letter 
conveys.  Who  can  imagine  that  mysterious  person- 
age dead  and  buried?  His  institutions  are  sacred. 
His  writings  are  written  miracles,  to  be  instructed  in 
them  is  a  religious  duty,  to  interpret  them  a  privilege, 
to  live  in  them  a  blessing,  and  to  die  for  them  an 
honor.  The  history  of  Israel  is  the  history  of  the 
exegesis  and  embodiment  of  Mosaism,  the  paragon 
of  intellectual  achievement,  the  panacea  of  the  world- 

What  Moses  is  in  Israel,  Homer  was  in  Greece, 
the  law-giver,  the  scientist,  the  artist.  He  is  not  the 
dawn,  but  the  constant  co-worker  of  a  great  history. 
Under  the  influence  of  his  genius,  a  band  of  poets 
flourish  whose  words  are  sweet  music,  giving  wings 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  85 

to  imagination  and  delight  to  the  ear.  Philosophers 
build  a  labyrinth  of  thought  so  tempting,  that 
to  be  lost  in  it  seems  a  pleasure.  Sculptors  chisel 
the  cold  marbel  into  forms  that  seem  to  breath. 
Historians  describe  the  past  with  a  magic  skill  as 
to  make  it  a  part  of  our  own  experience.  Heroes 
rise  who  attain  distinction  for  superiority  of  senti- 
ment no  less  than  that  of  strategy  and  courage. 
Homer  is  the  sweet  dream  of  the  Greeks,  or  rather  as 
Hegel  puts  it:  "The  element  in  which  the  Greek  world 
lives  as  man  lives  in  the  air." 

"Those  who  have  lived  before  us  have  done 
much,  but  have  not  finished  the  work,  yet  they  are 
to  be  esteemed  and  reverenced  like  gods. — Seneca. 

(3"»p  ri3K>)  'S\  D'BOK  M2  UK  D^K^D  U3  D'JIBtO  DK 
Multum  egerunt  qui  ante  nos  fuerunt,  sed  non  perege- 
runt;  sus  pic  iendi  tamen  sunt  et  ritudeorme  colendi. — Ep.  64. 


XCIV. 

"If  thou  art  free  from  slanderous  utterances  thou  shalt 
live  in  peace." — Tal. 

'''  'Tis  slander; 

Whose  edge  is  sharper  than  the  sword;  whose  tongue 
Outvenoms  all  the  worms  of  the  Nile;  whose  breath 
Rides  on  posting  winds,  and  does  belie 
All  corners  of  the  world;  kings,  queens  and  states, 
Maids,  matrons,  nay  the  secrets  of  the  grave 
This  viperous  slander  enters."  — Shakespeare. 


86  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

"Why  do  you  wound,"  the  serpent  is  asked, 
"without  any  benefit?"  "Go  to  man,"  the  serpent 
replies,  "and  ask  him  what  benefit  he  derives  from 
slander."  —  Midrash. 

"Nothing  is  so  swift  as  evil  speech."  —  Cicero. 
(B"S  KBIT  K"l)  D1^  TD»  ^3  Kiin  Y'r6»  -pB  mot?  DK 


"Nihil  est  auten  tarn  volucre  quam  maledictum." 

Cn.  Plane. 


XCV. 

"Sighing  impairs  health."  —  Tal. 

"Care  to  our  coffin  adds  nail."  —  Walcott. 
"Care   is   at   times   beyond  the   reach   of   art." 
—Ovid. 


"Cura  quoque  interdum  nulla  medicabilis  arte."  —  Ep.  ex 
Pont,  i,  3. 


XCVI. 

"I  speak  to  you  common  sense,"  and  you  say:  "Heaven 
will  have  mercy!" — Tal. 

So  Rabbi  Jose  observed.     He   saw  that   Rabbi 
Chananyah  continued  to  teach  in  spite  of  the  prohibi- 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  87 

tory  ordinance  of  the  Romans  and  anxious  to  save 
him  from  the  impending-  punishment,  said  to  him: 
"Brother!  do  you  not  see  what  a  mighty  power  the 
Romans  are?  They  destroyed  the  city  of  God,  burnt 
his  temple  and  slew  so  many  of  his  servants,  yet  they 
rule  and  succeed,  and  you  dare  to  oppose  and  defy 
them?"  To  this  Rabbi  Chananyah  replied:  "Heaven 
will  have  mercy." 

It  reminds  of  Cicero  :  "You  oppose  me  .  .  .  with 
stories,  but  I  demand  reasons  of  you." 


"Rumoribus   mecum   pugnas,   ego   autem  a   te   rationes 
require."—  D.  N.  D.  iii,  5. 


XCVII. 

"The  myrtle  though  standing  among  thorns  is  neverthe- 
less a  myrtle."  —  Tal. 

It  is  not  safe  to  judge  always  a  man's  character 
by  those  with  whom  he  associates.  Antisthenes  was 
once  approached  for  being  intimate  with  wicked 
people  and  said:  "Physicians  also  live  with  those  who 
are  sick  and  yet  they  do  not  catch  fevers."  —  Dioe- 
Leart. 

"The  rose  is  often  found  to  be  near  the  nettle  " 
—Ovid. 


(Y'D 

"Urticae  proxima  saepe  rosa  est."—  Remed.  Am.  45. 


88  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

XCVIII. 

"It  is  forbidden  to  steal  the  good  will  even  of  a  heathen." 

—Tal 

"Steal"  is  a  strong  word.  Our  sages  put  him 
down  as  a  thief,  who  obtains  the  good  wishes  of  any- 
body on  a  false  pretence. 

That  they  have  given  the  same  consideration  to 
the  heathen  would  itself  prove  that  they  did  not 
nourish  that  apathy  against  him  which  is  maliciously 
attributed  to  them-  But  there  are  numerous  passages 
in  the  Talmud  which  indicate  that  our  sages  stood 
upon  the  platform  of  universal  love.  For  instance: 
"The  heathen  who  is  engaged  in  the  study  of 
the  Law  is  like  a  high  priest."  "Also  the  pious  of  the 
heathens  has  a  portion  in  the  world  to  come."  "Who 
steals  of  a  heathen  will  also  steal  of  an  Israelite,  and 
who  commits  perjury  against  a  heathen  will  be 
guilty  of  the  same  sin  against  a  Jew."  "We  should 
feed  the  poor  of  the  heathens,  attend  to  their  sick, 
bury  their  dead  and  save  their  property  for  the  sake 
of  peace." 

Our  saying  is  the  most  forcible  expression  of  the 
duty  of  fair  dealing  with  all  men  compared  with  which 
Cicero:  "No  one  should  take  advantage  of  the  ignor- 
ance of  others,"  is  weak. 

(Y'J  p^n)  '31  ninan  njn  21:1:6  IIDN 

"Neminem   ita   agere   ut   ex  ulterius   praedetur  inscientia." 
— Cicero. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  89 

XCIX. 
"A  physician  for  nothing  is  worth  nothing." — Tal. 

He  may  not  take  enough  interest  in  the  patient 
if  his  services  are  not  remunerated.  In  the  Talmud, 
the  physician  is  spoken  of  as  a  material  necessity. 
Although  the  Talmud  is  not  in  favor  of  giving  over 
to  him  the  leadership  of  a  city,  it  cautions  against 
living  in  a  city  which  has  no  physician.  If  it  says: 
"The  best  of  physicians  is  doomed  to  h — 1,"  we  are 
to  take  it  as  a  stricture  upon  the  conceited  physician, 
who  thinks  himself  the  best  of  his  profession,  and 
refuses  to  consult  a  colleague  though  seeing  that  his 
patient  sinks  under  his  treatment. 

Yet  at  first  sight,  the  saying  which  heads  this 
chapter,  seems  to  convey  the  idea  which  Arbiter 
expressed  when  he  said:  "The  physician  is  nothing 
else  but  a  consolation  of  the  mind." 

(T'B  p"2)  N'1K>  po  p»3  pDT  JODK 
"Medicus  nihil  aliud  est  quam  animi  consolatio." — Sat. 


c. 

"The  physician  who  comes  from  a  distance  makes  blind." 

—Tal. 

Having  his  practice  and  reputation  elsewhere,  he 
may  treat  the  patient  as  an  object  of  experiment  with 


90  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

serious  results.  Other  commentators  take  the  say- 
ing in  the  sense  that  his  skill  is  greatly  over-rated. 
"Distance  lends  enchantment."  The  stars  would, 
perhaps,  not  be  half  so  glorified  were  they  nearer  our 
globe.  "The  prophet  has  greater  fascination  abroad 
than  at  home." 

"Everything  unknown  is  taken  for  magnificent." 
—  Tacit. 


"Omne  ignotum  pro  magnified."  —  Agr.  30. 


CI. 

"Though  he  sinned,  he  is  still  an  Israelite."  —  Tal. 

"A  man's  a  man  for  a'  that.  —  Burns. 
"I  am  human,  consequently,  nothing  human  is  a 
stranger  to  me."  —  Terence. 


"Homo  sum:  humani  nihil  a  me  alienuni  puto." 

—  Heaut,  i. 


cii: 

"Even  father  and  son,  teacher  and  pupil  studying  in  the 
same  place  will  disagree." — Tal. 

"As  many  persons  there  are  so  many  opinions." 
— Cicero. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  91 


I  rrrra  ppow  ... 

"Tot  homines  tot  sententiae." 


cm. 

"Even  in  peril  a  man  should  assert  his  dignity." 

.;•*•:-  .-, 

"If  a  man  must  fall,  let  him  meet  the  danger 
courageously. — Tacitus. 
U"5f  'nnjo)  'DI  levy  nx  DIN  njtr1  *6  runon  nyea  I^SN 

"Si  cadere  necesse  est  occurrendum  discrimine." 

—Hist,  i,  33. 


CIV. 

"Even  if  the  sword  is  on  his  neck  he  should  pray." — Tal. 

''The  sick  should  hope  as  long  as  there  is  life." — 
Cicero. 

('"  rvana)  D*»mn  jo  yw  ^>N  nwix  ^y  nmiD  mn  mn 

"Aegroto,  dum  anima,  spes  est." — Ep.  ad  At.  ix,  10. 


cv. 

"Even  among  the  rabble  there  are  men  who  are  as 
imbued  with  virtues  as  is  the  pomegranate  full  of 
seeds." — Tal. 


92  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

This  fruit  has  no  very  inviting  exterior,  but  its 
inside  testifies  to  the  bounty,  beauty  and  harmony  of 
nature.  Thus,  there  are  people  who  carry  within 
wealth  of  noble  feeling. 

How  much  more  encouraging  this  sentiment  is 
than  that  of  the  pessimists  who  claim  there  is  no 
virtue ! 

>  No  virtue?  The  desire  to  be  better  is  universal, 
so  is  the  admiration  for  virtue.  Is  not  that  admir- 
ation a  virtue  in  itself?  Has  it  a  motive?  It  comes 
we  do  not  know  how,  and  brings  reproach  with  it  that 
we  are  not  on  a  higher  level.  Moreover,  we  could 
not  admire  good  traits  in  character  if  we  were  utterly 
void  of  them.  To  appreciate  a  good  poem,  one  must 
have  i  some  poetry  in  him.  To  find  pleasure  in  a 
philosophical  treatise,  one  must  be  a  philosopher  to 
some  extent.  Does  not  this  hold  good  of  religion 
and  morality? 

It  is  not  far  fetched  to  say  that  virtue  as  a  mere 
fancy  could  not  have  asserted  itself.  The  most  of 
our  ideas  are  transcripts  of  what  is,  the  impressions  of 
things  real.  No  science  has  ever  preceeded  exper- 
ience ;  no  history  the  men  and  events  it  describes.  It 
may  be  asserted  with  impunity,  that  the  first  virtuous 
man  was  not  one  who  sighed  for  virtue,  but  practiced 
it. 

There  is  a  difference  in  the  degree  and  practice 
of  virtue  as  there  is  a  difference  in  the  quality  of  the 
work  men  do,  but  there  are  people  of  integrity  and 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  93 

higher  cravings  among  all  classes,  even  the  humblest. 
"Virtue  is  withheld  from  no  one.  She  can  be 
reached  by  all,  accepts  all,  invites  all,  gentlemen, freed 
men,  slaves,  kings  and  exiles;  she  selects  neither 
house  nor  fortune,  she  is  satisfied  with  human  beings, 
with  man  as  man." — Seneca. 

(r"i»  "iruo)  PDID  rwto 

"Nulli    preaolusa     virtus     est,    omnibus     patet,     omires 
admitted  omnes  invitat,  etc." — De  Belief,  iii,  18. 


CVI. 

"Four  kinds  of  people  are  disgusting:  a  poor  man  who 
is  proud;  a  rich  man  who  pleads  poverty;  an  old 
man  who  is  licentious;  a  leader  who  is  insolent." 

It  reminds  of  Cicero:  "Who  does  not  hate  the 
mean,  the  vain,  the  fickle  and  trifling?" 

ipn  BTDO  nnpjn  nsa  h  p  bx  jrtaio  njnn 
(r'-'p  "TIDE)  nwnon 

"Quis  non  odit  sordidos,  vanos,  leves,  futiles." 

— Fin.  iii,  2. 


CVII. 

"Her  womanhood  is  her  protection." — Tal. 

"There  is  no  memorable  name  in  female  punish- 
ment, nor  has  that  victory  any  glory." — Vir. 


94  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 


(n"3  t"y)  rr>y  ru«T 

"Nullum  memorabile  nomen  in  foemi-nea  poena  nee  ita 
victoria  habet  laudem."  —  Aen.  ii. 


CVIII. 

"A  woman  reads  the  people  coming  to  her  house  better 
than  man." 

Had  Buckle  been  familiar  with  this  apophthegm 
he  might  have  quoted  it  with  some  show  of  Talmudic 
knowledge  in  his  lecture  on  "Woman's  influence  on 
the  progress  of  knowledge." 

"Another  circumstance,"  says  Buckle,  "which 
makes  women  more  deductive,is  that  they  possess 
more  of  what  is  called  intuition.  They  cannot  see  as 
far  as  man  can,  but  what  they  do  see  they  see  quicker. 
Hence,  they  are  constantly  tempted  to  grasp  at  once 
at  an  idea,  and  seek  to  solve  a  problem  suddenly  in 
contradistinction  to  the  slower  and  more  laborious 
ascent  of  the  inductive  investigator.  That  women 
are  more  deductive  than  men,  because  they  think 
quicker  is  a.  proposition  which  some  persons  will  not 
relish,  and  yet  it  may  be  proved  in  a  variety  of  ways." 

"To  this,  I  may  add  another  observation  which 
many  travellers  have  made,  and  which  anyone  can 
testify;  namely,  "that  when  you  are  in  a  foreign 
country  and  speaking  a  foreign  language,  women  will 
understand  you  quicker  thsn  men  will." 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  95 


('j  "TIDQ)  c"KD  nnv  D'rnisa  mao 

"Parvis  mobilis  rebus  animus  muliebris."  —  Levy  vi,  34. 


CIX. 

"The  man  is  well  off  who  does  not  go  to  theatres." — Tal. 

That  is  the  man  upon  whom  time  does  not  hang 
heavily  and  who  finds  amusement  and  diversion  in 
pursuits  the  legitimacy  of  which  can  not  be  ques- 
tioned. And  our  sages  are  not  without  support  in 
this  respect. 

Boswell  has  the  following  item  about  Samuel 
Johnson:  "He  for  a  considerable  time  used  to  fre- 
quent the  green-room,  and  seemed  to  take  delight  in 
dissipating  his  gloom  by  mixing  in  the  sprightly  chit- 
chat of  the  motley  circle  then  to  be  found  there.  Mr. 
David  Hume  related  to  me  from  Garrick  that  John- 
son at  last  denied  himself  that  amusement  from  a 
consideration  of  rigid  virtue,  saying:  "I  come  no 
more  behind  the  green  scenes,  David;  for  the  silk 
stockings  and  white  bosoms  of  your  actresses  excite 
my  amorous  propensities." — Little's  Hist-  Lights. 

"Ovid  employs  two  hundred  lines  in  the  research 
of  places  the  most  favorable  to  love.  Above  all,  he 
considers  the  theatres  as  the  best  adapted  to  collect 
the  beauties  of  Rome  and  to  melt  them  with  tender- 
ness and  sensuality." — Ibid. 

Solon,  the  lawgiver  of  Athens,  "forbade  Thespis 


96  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

to  perform  and  represent  his  tragedies,  on  the  ground 
of  falsehood  being  unprofitable  ;  and  when  Pisistratos 
wounded  'himself,  he  said  it  all  came  of  Thespis 
tragedies."  —  Yonge's  Diog.  Leart. 

Seneca  advises  his  young  friend  to  stay  away 
from  public  shows,  saying:  "Nothing  is  so  hurtful  to 
good  morals  as  to  while  away  the  time  at  some  public 
show." 

(n/M  T"y)  nvtnm  - 


"Nihil    vero    tarn    damnosum    bonis    moribus,    quam    in 
aliquo  spectaculo  desidere."  —  Ep.  vii. 


ex. 

"The  generation  is  to  be  congratulated  which  has  Rabbi 
Elazar,  son  of  Azariah." — Tal. 

When  the  position  of  Nassi  was  made  vacant  by 
the  abdication  of  Rabbi  Gamliel,  Rabbi  Elazar  was 
declared  the  best  equipped  man  for  the  office.  He 
was  learned,  influential  and  of  a  family  which  traced 
its  genealogy  to  Ezrah.  His  wife,  'however,  did  not 
care  for  the  promotion,  and  said  to  him:  "They  will 
depose  you  as  they  did  Rabbi  Gamliel."  "This,"  he 
said,  "does  not  trouble  me."  "We  use  costly  glass- 
ware knowing  that  it  may  break."  She  then  referred 
to  his  extremely  useful  appearance.  He  was  then 
only  eighteen  years  old. 

At  any  rate,  he  was  elected,  and  having  been  in 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  97 

the  exalted  office  a  short  time,  a  reconciliation  was 
effected  between  Rabbi  Gamliel  and  his  opponents, 
whose  rehabilitation  was  desired-  Cheerfully  and 
readily  Rabbi  Elazar  resigned,  and  headed  a  party 
to  congratulate  the  reinstated  Nassi. 

"There  are  Clodii  at  all  times,  but  the  Catos  are 
rare." — Seneca. 

('a  nyjn)  tti  «vn  TIP  y  nx  'nt?  inn  new 

"Omne  tempes  Clodii,  non  omne  Catones  feret." — Ep.  97 


CXI. 

"Happy  are  the  martyrs." — Tal. 

Rabbi  Joseph  recovered  from  his  sickness,  and 
his  father,  Rabbi  Joshua,  asked  him,  what  vision  he 
had  when  he  was  in  a  state  of  apparent  unconscious- 
ness. Rabbi  Joseph  answered:  "I  have  seen  a  world 
with  a  reversed  order  of  things.  The  high-stationed 
were  down  and  the  lowly  were  up."  And  the  father 
said:  "Thou  hast  seen  a  well  ordered  world.  But 
what  hast  them  seen  of  us  scholars?"  And  he 
answered:  "As  we  are  here,  so  we  are  there.  And  I 
'heard  say:  "Happy  who  comes  here  with  learning  in 
his  hand,  (that  is,  Whose  learning  caused  good 
action).  And  I  also  heard  say:  "Happy  are  the 
martyrs."  Commenting  on  this  last  utterance  the 
Talmud  says:  "It  does  not  refer  to  Rabbi  Akiba  and 


98  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

his  associates  who  had  other  great  merits,  but  to  the 
martyrs  in  Lydda.  It  happened  that  a  king's  daugh- 
ter was  murdered, and,  as  the  murderer  was  not  found, 
the  whole  Jewish  colony  was  charged  with  the  crime. 
But  in  order  to  remove  all  suspicion  from,  and  thus 
save  their  brethren,  two  brave  young  men  sacrificed 
themselves.  They  gave  themselves  up  to  the  thought- 
less government  as  the  assassins  of  the  king's 
daughter,  and  were  innocently  put  to  death. 

"It  is  sweet  and  glorious  to  die  for  the  father* 
land-"— Hor. 

CJ  DTIDS)  niata  'Jinn  nt?K 

"Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori."— Od.  Hi,  2. 


exit 

"Happy  the  man  who  repents  while  he  is  yet  a  man." 

—Tal. 

That  is  when  one's  better  nature  has  still  that 
warmth  and  impressionability  to  become  victor  of 
the  base  passions. 

It  reminds  of  Juvenal:  "When  armed  and 
helmeted  it  is  too  late  to  repent  of  the  fight." 


"Galeatum  sero  duelli  poenitet."  —  Sat.  I. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  99 

CXIII. 

"Thou   art   hailed,    O    Rabbi  Akiba!   that   thy  soul  has 
departed  while  "echod"  was  on  thy  lips." — Tal. 

Rabbi  Akiba  is  the  most  amazing  personality  in 
the  Talmud.  Of  obscure  descent  and  beginning  to 
study  at  an  advanced  age,  he  acquired  phenomenal 
sway  over  the  leading  men  in  Israel  as  a  scholarly 
genius  and  religious  hero.  He  may  be  said  to  'have 
been  both,  the  Jewish  Aristotle  and  Epaminondas  of 
that  period.  He  had  the  intellectual  brilliancy  of  the 
former  and  the  devotion  and  self-abnegation  of  the 
latter. 

About  his  death,  the  Talmud  gives  the  following 
information:  "Disregarding  the  Roman  edict  to  quit 
all  Jewish  study  and  instruction,  he  continued  to  lec- 
ture to  large  gatherings.  Warned  by  Pappus,  he  told 
him  that  fishes  once  chided  a  fox  who  invited  them  to 
follow  him  on  land,  because  they  were  in  danger  in 
the  river."  They  said:  "Thou,  o'h  fox,  art  sly,  but 
nevertheless  a  fool-  If  we  are  not  safe  in  the  water, we 
are  less  so  on  land."  About  the  study  of  the  law 
it  is  written:  "For  it  is  thy  life  and  the  length  of  thy 
days,"  and  if  we  are  not  safe  in  it,  it  is  useless  to 
look  for  safety  elsewhere." 

In  a  few  days,  however,  Rabbi  Akiba  was  seized 
and  tortured  to  death,but,to  the  very  last,  he  asserted 
his  spiritual  independence  and  invincibility.  While 
his  skin  was  being  torn  from  him  with  a  curry-comb, 


too  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

he  recited  passages  from  the  Scriptures.  His 
disciples,  seeing  that  the  executioner  was  determined 
to  break  the  constancy  of  his  victim,  and  therefore  pro- 
longed his  agonies,  cried  out:  "Master,  it  is  enough." 
But  the  mutilated  master  calmed  them,  saying:  "It  is 
written:  "And  thou  shalt  love  the  Eternal,  thy  God, 
with  all  thy  soul."  It  means  even  at  the  cost  of  thy 
life-  Many  a  time  I  wondered  whether  I  will  have  an 
opportunity  to  manifest  such  a  love  for  my  God.  And 
now  that  I  have  it  shall  I  not  use  it?  Again  he  said: 
"Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Eternal  is  our  God,  the  Eternal 
is  One,"  and  kept  up  the  sound  of  the  last  word  "One" 
until  his  body  sank,  and  the  glory  that  tenanted  it 
rose  heavenward."  A  voice  from  above  (Bath  Kol) 
exclaimed  "Happy  art  thou,  Rabbi  Akiba,  that  thy 
soul  departed  with  "echod"  on  thy  lips." 

"Who  falls  for  the  love  of  God  shall  rise  a  star." 

Ben  Jonson. 

;(N"D  main)  nnxn  "jnotw  nnvn?  y"n 


CXIV. 

"It  is  written:  Thou  shalt  fear  the  Eternal  thy  God," 
this  teaches  at  the  same  time  that  the  sages  must  be 
respected.'  " — Tal. 

Our  wise  men  revered  the  Bible  as  an  emanation 
of  divine  Intelligence  in  which  the  solution  of  life's 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  101 

problem  could  be  found,  if  properly  studied.  There 
was  no  superfluity  and  no  platitude  in  it.  Every 
sentence  was  a  constellation,  every  word  a  glittering 
star. 

The  word  "eth"  stood  for  more  than  a  gram- 
matical form,  namely,  for  an  intimation  that  an  addi- 
tional lesson  was  intended  which,  though  not 
expressed,  could  be  guessed  by  the  student.  And  we 
are  told  that  a  sage  by  the  name  of  Simon,  satis- 
factorily explained  the  special  meaning  of  that  word 
in  all  its  relations  except  in  that  to  fear  of  God. 
He  was  afraid  to  say  that  this  denoted  a  plus.  Whom 
is  man  to  fear  besides  God?  What  other  fear  then 
could  that  include?  His  disciples  said  to  him: 
"Master,  thy  disinclination  to  elucidate  the  word  here, 
will  weaken  all  your  efforts  in  that  direction.  For  if 
it  is  here  only  a  grammatical  form,  why  should  it  not 
be  taken  as  such  in  all  its  connections?"  The  master 
replied:  "As  I  hope  to  'be  rewarded  for  explanation 
elsewhere,  so  I  hope  to  be  rewarded  for  my  departure 
in  this  case."  Rabbi  Akiba,  however,  said:  "The 
word  'eth'  has  even  in  this  connection  a  special  sug- 
gestion, namely,  that  next  to  God  we  owe  reverence 
to  the  sage  who  benefits  us  by  his  inspiring  word  and 
glorious  example." 

"I  say  great  men  are  still  admirable,  I  say  there 
is,  at  bottom,  nothing  else  admirable!  No  nobler 
feeling  than  this  of  admiration  for  one  higher  than 
himself  dwells  in  the  breast  of  man.  It  is  to  this  hour, 


102  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

and  at  all  hours,  the  vivifying  influence  in  man's  life. 
Religion  I  find  stand  upon  it." — Carlyle. 

"Next  and  immediately  after  the  gods  men  are 

most  useful  to  men It  is  by  the  wisdom  and 

virtues  of  excellent  men  that  we  are  urged  and  excited 
to  study  and  improve  our  conditions." — Cicero. 
d"3  TIDB)  n"n  nn~6  NTD  'K  'n  nx 

"Proxime  autem  et  secundum  deos  homines... Hominum 
studia  virorum  praestantium  sapientia  excitantur." — De  Off. 
«,  3,  5- 


cxv. 

"The  donkey  came  and  kicked  the  candelabrum." — Tal. 

There  was  a  philosopher  who  used  to  brag  of 
his  deep  sense  of  justice  and  utter  abhorrence  for 
bribery,  but  whom  Rabbi  Gamliel  and  his  sister  knew 
to  lead  a  double  life.  In  order  to  expose  him,  they 
pretended  to  have  a  disagreement  about  their  father's 
estate,  and  appointed  him  judge  in  the -matter.  Both 
bribed  him, she  with  a  golden  candelabrum, and  Rabbi 
Gamliel  with  an  imported  donkey.  During  the  trial 
she  said  to  the  judge:  "May  thy  judgment  be  as 
bright  as  the  candelabrum,"  and  Rabbi  Gamliel,  in 
order  to  remind  him  of  his  gift  said:  "The  donkey 
came  and  kicked  the  candelabrum." 

Whether  Rabbi  Gamliel  and  his  sister  actually 
played  such  unbecoming  parts  may  reasonably  be 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  103 

questioned.  It  is  more  likely  that  some  disappointed 
scholar  gave  'birth  to  the  above  saying,  and  means 
that  nonsense  is  often  more  appreciated  by  the  people 
than  substantial  thought 

It  reminds  of  the  story  of  the  shadow  of  an  ass. 
Demosthenes  pleaded  a  very  important  case,  and 
observing  that  the  judges  paid  him  no  attention,  told 
them  that  once  a  man  hired  a  donkey  to  ride  on  its 
back  to  some  city.  On  the  road  the  man  sat  down 
under  the  donkey  to  rest.  The  owner  of  the  same 
then  demanded  extra  pay  for  the  use  of  the  shadow 
of  his  animal,  which  the  other  party  refused.  They 
went  to  court.  At  this  point  of  the  story  the  famous 
orator  turned  to  leave  the  room,  but  the  judges 
anxious  to  hear  how  the  court  disposed  of  the  shadow 
of  the  ass  bade  him  stay  and  continue. 

"Comedy  carries  the  day." 

(VBp  rot?)  Nn&6  K>B:II  anon 

"Vocem  comoedia  tollit." — L.  Prov. 


CXVI. 
"You  have,  I  have  not  said  it." — Tal. 

Bar  Kappara  was  sent  by  the  Rabbies  to  inquire 
about  Rabbi  Jehudah  Hanassi,  whose  sickness  had 
taken  an  alarming  turn  and  for  whose  recovery  a 
fast  was  ordained  and  prayers  were  said.  Coming 


104  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

back  to  the  Rabbies  he  said  "Angels  and  righteous 
men  combatted  about  the  possession  of  the  holy 
ark  and  the  angels  succeeded  to  carry  it  off."  "Is 
he  dead?"  the  Rabbies  asked,  and  he  replied:  "You 
have,  I  have  not  said  it." 

The  same  is  related  about  Rabbi  Joshua.  He 
was  requested  by  the  Rabbies  to  go  and  see  how 
Rabbi  Kahanah  was,  and  finding  him  dead,  he  tore 
his  garment  and  wept.  When  he  returned,  the 
Rabbies  asked:  "Is  he  dead?"  And  he  answered: 
"You  have,  I  have  not  said  it.  He  who  utters 
offensive  speech  is  a  fool." 

There  was  a  feeling  that  the  expression:  "He 
died"  or  "He  is  dead"  could  not  well  be  applied  to 
a  man  so  honored  and  cherished.  Death  and  immor- 
tality, what  a  contradiction!  Can  we  consistently 
speak  of  the  death  of  anyone  whom  we  believe 
immortal?  What  those  sages  meant  by  saying:  "You 
have,  I  have  not  said  it,"  is,  to  use  a  Ciceronian 
expression:  "1  am  not  so  absurd  as  to  say  that." 


"Non  sum  ita  hebes,  ut  istud  dicam."  —  Tuscul.  i,  6. 


CXVII. 

'You  have  come  to  see  one  who  cannot  see,  may  it  be 
your  prerogative  to  see  Him  who  sees,  but  is  not 
seen." — Tal. 


ECHOES  OF  WISDOM  105 

Rabbi  Jehudah  and  Rabbi  Chiya  came  into  a  city 
and  inquired  whether  a  learned  man  dwelled  there. 
They  were  informed  that  a  learned  man  lived  there, 
but  he  was  blind.  They  paid  him  a  visit.  What  the 
conversation  of  these  scholars  was  is  not  repeated. 
But  when  the  distinguished  visitors  were  about  to 
leave  him  he  blessed  them  in  the  above  words. 

There  is  a  passage  in  Cicero  which  deserves  to 
be  cited  in  this  connection.  It  is  this:  "Pompejus 
used  to  relate  that  when  he  came  to  Rhodus,  he  had  a 
great  desire  to  hear  Posidonius  lecture.  But  he  was 
informed  that  the  philosopher  was  a  great  sufferer, 
and  though  he  gave  up  all  hope  of  hearing  him,  he 
paid  him  a  visit.  Pompeius  after  greeting  the  phil- 
osopher expressed  his  regrets  that  he  could  not  hear 
him  lecture.  But  Posidonius  said:  "I  shall  not  per- 
mit any  illness  to  cause  such  a  distinguished  visitor 
to  leave  me  without  hearing  me."  And  he  discussed 
earnestly  and  fluently  the  proposition :  "Nothing  was 
good  but  what  was  honest."  But  as  often  as  his 
malady  gave  him  severe  pain  so  that  he  had  to 
interrupt  himself,  he  said:  "Pain,  thou  accomplishest 
nothing.  Thou  art  annoying,  but  I  will  never  admit 
that  thou  art  an  evil." 

Cn  nrjn)  's\  ism  p«vi  jr&n  D»Kijn  DMQ  nrtapn  ant* 

"Nihil  agis  dolor:   quamvis   sis  molestus,   nunquam   te 
esse  confitebor  malum." — Tuscul.  ii,  25. 


io6  ECHOES  OF  WISDOM 

CXVIII. 

"The  thief  may  escape  two  or  three  times,  but  will  pay 
the  penalty  in  the  end." — Tal. 

Punishment  though  late   comes   on  with   silent 
step. — Tibullus. 

("i  'nruD)  tep'D  N^>  >aj:  r6ni  wins 

"Sera  tamen  tacitis  poena  venit  pedibus." 


Typographical  errors  corrected. 


HEBREW 
Page  1,  line  2, 
"  18,     "  16, 

"36,    "  14, 


LATIN 

Page  61,  line  13,  mulieribus 
"     63,     "   10,  earn 
"    85,     "    16,  suspiciendi 
"      "      "     "    ritu  deorum 


ENGLISH 


Page  23,  line  1,  Pumbaditha      |      Page  64,  line  6,  Buckle 
"    50,     "  20,  omit  "to"  "    73,    "  13,  prosper 

"    51,     "     8,  become  "    76,    "  20,  lose, 

Page  77,  line  13,  Phreantles. 

Page  5.  line  0,  properc          Page  65,  line  17,  mastodon 
Page  70,  line  4    Quod 
"     96,     "  23,  youthful 


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